Practical Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)

This course not only covers critical OSINT tools and techniques, it also provides real-world examples of how they have been used to solve a problem or further an investigation. Hands-on labs based on actual scenarios provide students with the opportunity to practice the skills they learn and understand how those skills can help in their research.(Online Classes available)

Course Key Learnings:

BUSINESS TAKEAWAYS:

This course will help your organization:

• Improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and success of OSINT investigations
• Build an OSINT team that can perform a variety of OSINT investigations while practicing good OPSEC
• Create accurate reporting of your organization’s online infrastructure
• Understand how breach data can be used for offensive and defensive purposes

Course Content

Module1: OSINT and OPSEC Fundamentals

Overview

Before diving into tools and techniques to find, gather, and process information, the course starts with a discussion of how to undertake these activities as safely and effectively as possible. This section begins with an overview of the OSINT process and tips on avoiding analytical pitfalls. We then move into Operational Security or OPSEC. This isn’t just a list of browser plugins and VPN providers: we’ll look at what truly matters when managing attribution. Most of us don’t have unlimited budgets and can’t achieve “perfect OPSEC

Exercises

• Managing Your Attribution
• Dealing with Potential Malware
• Canary Tokens
• Hunchly
• Obsidian
• [Optional] Linux Command Line Practice

Topics

• The OSINT Process
• Avoiding Analytical Pitfalls
• OPSEC
• Dealing with Potential Malware
• Canary Tokens
• Creating Accounts
• Hunchly
• Effective Note Taking
• Report Writing
• Introduction to Linux

Module2: Essential OSINT Skills

Overview

Section Two presents a range of fundamental skills that all OSINT practitioners should have, regardless of the industry they work in. We’ll start with a brief overview of curated lists of OSINT resources and quickly move into understanding the fundamentals of how the web works and utilizing search engines effectively. We’ll cover methods to find other sites owned and operated by the same individuals, how to see content that the site owners may not want you to see, and, as always, the OPSEC implications and how to do undertake these tasks safely. We’ll also cover the why and how of setting up persistent monitoring alerts.

Exercises

• Search
• Instant Data Scraper
• Metadata
• Reverse Image Search
• Facial Recognition
• Translation
• [Optional] Day 2 Capstone

Topics

• OSINT Link and Bookmark Collections
• Web Fundamentals and Search Engines
• Web Archives and Proxy Sites
• Collecting and Processing Web Data
• Metadata
• Mapping
• Image Analysis and Reverse Image Searches
• Facial Recognition
• Translations

Module3:: Investigating People