OSINT Tools for Intelligence Analysis

Open source intelligence (OSINT) software is becoming increasingly important in gathering public information. This type of software allows users to easily access data on individuals and organisations from various sources, such as search engines, social media profiles, and government records. The goal is to create a comprehensive picture by cross-referencing this data and building connections between different pieces of information. OSINT software is invaluable for gaining insight into oneself or others, and it has also become popular for cybersecurity professionals in ethical hacking, penetration testing, and external threat identification.

The Importance of OSINT in Today’s Data-Driven World

OSINT is a key component of Open-Source Business Intelligence (OSBI), a rapidly growing meta trend. It eliminates the hefty associated cost, making it an attractive model for smaller businesses due to its lower cost and scalability. Currently, around 26% of companies use open-source tools as part of their business strategy, and this number is expected to grow significantly in the future.

The OSINT market is projected to experience significant growth over the next five years, providing ample opportunity for startups looking to break into this space.

Maltego: A Versatile OSINT Platform

Maltego is a versatile open source intelligence platform that simplifies and expedites investigations. It provides access to 58 data sources and manual upload capabilities, as well as databases of up to 1 million entities to enhance analysis. The platform’s powerful visualisation tools allow users to choose from different layouts like blocks, hierarchical, or circular graphs with weights and notes for further refinement.

With Maltego, trust and safety teams, law enforcement personnel, and cybersecurity professionals can obtain one-click investigation results with easy-to-follow insights. The company also offers a Maltego Foundation course for those looking to maximise the benefits of the platform.

Spiderfoot: Open-Source OSINT Reconnaissance Tool

Spiderfoot is an open-source OSINT reconnaissance tool with a wide range of features. It can obtain and analyse various data points, including IP addresses, CIDR ranges, domains and subdomains, ASNs, email addresses, phone numbers, names and usernames, BTC addresses, and more.

Spiderfoot offers both a command-line interface and an embedded web-server with a user-friendly GUI interface accessible on GitHub. It boasts over 200 modules that can be used to carry out comprehensive activities and uncover key details about any target. The tool can also assess whether organisations have exposed data that may lead to security breaches.

OSINT Framework: A Comprehensive Resource for Intelligence Gathering

OSINT Framework is a valuable resource for open-source intelligence gathering. It provides a wide range of data sources, helpful links, and effective tools, making it easier to research various programs and tools. The directory also offers options for operating systems beyond Linux, ensuring solutions across the board. With its organised resources, the OSINT Framework has quickly become one of the most popular solutions for data collection, information discovery, and organisation.

SEON: Digital Identity Verification for Businesses

SEON is at the forefront of the digital identity verification movement. By tapping into its email and phone number systems, businesses can access over 50 different social signals that produce a comprehensive risk score. These signals not only confirm the validity of a customer’s email address or phone number but also provide deeper insights into their digital footprint.

SEON offers flexibility in implementing queries manually, via API, or through a Google Chrome extension, making it user-friendly and accessible.

Lampyre: Efficient OSINT Solution for Various Analyses

Lampyre is a paid application designed specifically for OSINT, providing an efficient solution for due diligence, cyber threat intelligence, crime analysis, and financial analytics. It is an intuitive, one-click application that can be installed on your PC or run online.

Starting with a single data point, such as a company registration number or full name, Lampyre automatically processes data from 100+ regularly updated sources to reveal useful information. The data can be accessed via PC software or through API calls. Lampyre’s SaaS product offering, called Lighthouse, allows users to pay per API call and is ideal for businesses monitoring risks and investigating threats.

Shodan: Advanced Search Engine for Technology Insights

Shodan is an advanced search engine that quickly identifies and provides access to information on the technology used by businesses. By typing in a company name, users can gain detailed insights into their IoT devices, including location, configuration details, and vulnerabilities grouped by network or IP address.

Shodan can also assist in analysing operating systems, open ports, and web server types with high accuracy. Its cutting-edge software toolsets enable further analysis of the technology landscape.

Recon-ng: Powerful Tool for Website Domain Information

Recon-ng is a powerful tool used to find information related to website domains. It originally started as a script but has evolved into a full framework. Users can identify web vulnerabilities, perform GeoIP lookup, DNS lookup, and port scanning. Recon-ng is extremely useful for locating sensitive files, finding hidden subdomains, identifying SQL errors, and retrieving company CMS or WHOIS information.

While Recon-ng is more technical compared to other tools, there are many resources available to learn how to take full advantage of its capabilities.

Aircrack-ng: Comprehensive Security Penetration Testing Tool

Aircrack-ng is a powerful security penetration testing tool used by digital security professionals to assess the safety of wireless networks. The tool enables users to collect information related to packet monitoring, including capturing frames, collecting WEP IVs, and identifying the position of access points with the addition of GPS.

Aircrack-ng can also conduct penetration tests on networks, analyse performance through token injection attacks, fake access points, and replay attacks. It can perform password cracking for both WEP and WPA PSK (WPA 1 and 2). Aircrack-ng is a versatile tool primarily developed for Linux but adaptable to other systems such as Windows, OS X, and FreeBSD. Its command-line interface (CLI) allows for customisation, enabling advanced users to create custom scripts tailored to their unique requirements.

BuiltWith: Powerful Website Analysis Tool

BuiltWith is an incredibly powerful website detective that allows users to find out the tech stack, frameworks, plugins, and other information powering popular websites. This information is useful for those interested in using similar technologies for their own websites.

BuiltWith also lists JavaScript/CSS libraries used by websites, providing further granularity and insight into website architecture. It can be used for casual research or conducting reconnaissance on behalf of businesses or organisations that need to understand how different webpages are constructed.

Metagoofil: Extracting Metadata from Public Documents

Metagoofil is a freely available tool on GitHub that specialises in extracting metadata from various public documents, including .pdf, .doc, .ppt, and .xls files. It acts as a powerful search engine, unearthing useful data such as usernames and real names associated with specific public documents, server information, and the path to these documents.

While this information presents risks to organisations, it can also be leveraged as a defence mechanism. Organisations can take proactive steps to hide or obscure the information before malicious actors have an opportunity to use it for nefarious purposes.

Conclusion

OSINT tools for intelligence analysis are vital in today’s data-driven world. They provide valuable insights into individuals and organisations, aiding law enforcement, financial services, and cybersecurity professionals. With the market expected to grow significantly, startups have ample opportunity to break into this space.

The OSINT tools mentioned in this article, such as Maltego, Spiderfoot, and Lampyre, offer powerful features for gathering and analysing data. Platforms like SEON provide digital identity verification, while search engines like Shodan and website analysis tools like BuiltWith offer specialised insights. Tools like Recon-ng, Aircrack-ng, and Metagoofil cater to specific needs, such as website domain analysis, wireless network security testing, and metadata extraction.

By leveraging these OSINT tools, businesses and organisations can enhance their intelligence analysis capabilities and make more informed decisions.