Introduction to Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)
Open Source
Anything that is readily available for the public’s consumption is Open Source for example, News papers,magazines and so on.
Technically, Open Source refers to technology whether hardware or software that is available for use and modification by anyone. They include ; Linux Operating System, firefox browser, Android by Google, e. t. c.
NOTE: All free software is Open Source but not all Open Source Software is free.
Please read my Open Source story here and be inspired to start contributing to Open Source projects.
Open Source Intelligence
Open Source Intelligence or OSINT for short, is a method of collecting, analyzing and making decisions about data accessible by the public in an intelligence context such as National Security, Law Enforcement, Business Intelligence and so on. This information gathered could be from the internet(YouTube, blogs, groups, publications, Social Media), Government data that is public, Media e. t. c.
However, taking precautionary measure while collecting information from the internet by using a VPN(Virtual Private Network) in order to maintain anonymity is advisable.
Benefits of Open Source Intelligence
- Using Open Source Intelligence to collect data is relatively cheaper than traditional information gathering tools that require so much investment or payment.
- Open Source Intelligence has helped in National Security enormously. Due to its public nature, the security teams can easily draw insight for the betterment of the Government.
- Open Source Intelligence is flexible. Information is accessed anywhere and anytime since most of the information is gathered online. You can easily download Software and use.
Bottlenecks of Open Source Intelligence
- False public information may be difficult to filter or distinguish.
- Some Open Source Intelligence tools are limited to only a particular region or State for instance som tools may be accessed only in Canada and not America.
Ninety percent of intelligence comes from open sources. The other 10 percent, the clandestine work, is just the more dramatic. The real intelligence hero is Sherlock Holmes, not James Bond. - Samuel V. Wilson, former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
To be continued…
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