The OSINT Handbook: A practical guide to analyzing and gathering online information 9781837638277

Table of contents :
The OSINT Handbook
Foreword
Contributors
About the author
About the reviewers
Preface
Who this book is for
What this book covers
Conventions used
Get in touch
Share your thoughts
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1
The Secrets Hiding in Plain Sight – Unveiling the Power of OSINT
Introduction to OSINT
Let’s talk about information and intelligence
Passive and active OSINT
Why OSINT matters in the digital age
Why is OSINT so cool?
How the heck does OSINT work?
The OSINT framework
Let’s break down an investigation into some real-world examples
Getting started with OSINT and some best practices
Tips and tricks for effective information gathering
Some resources we’ll be using
Summary
2
Invisible and Untouchable – The Importance of Anonymity in OSINT Analysis
Introduction to anonymity and privacy in OSINT
Ways anonymity can be breached in OSINT
Striking the balance – Privacy concerns in OSINT investigations
Protecting your digital footprint
Managing and limiting YOUR online presence
Why protecting personal data is more important than ever
Internet browsers – The frontline of data vulnerability
How to protect yourself
Creating and managing online personas – Sock puppets
Staying ahead of cyber threats in OSINT
Keeping up with privacy and security news
Learning from past breaches and incidents
Summary
3
The OSINT Toolbox – Methods and Techniques for Gathering and Analyzing Information
Introduction to OSINT methods and techniques
The variety of techniques used in OSINT
Importance of selecting the right method for a specific task
Searching and browsing the surface web
Advanced search engine techniques
Google hacking
Utilizing specialized search engines and directories
Academic search engines
Code search engines
Patent search engines
Image search engines
Exploring social media for OSINT (SOCMINT)
Understanding hidden sources
Diving into the deep and dark web
Let’s make sure we understand the internet
Harvesting more with theHarvester
Shodan
Automating OSINT collection and analysis
Summary
4
Exploring the Unknown – How Discovery Tools Reveal Hidden Information
Introduction to discovery tools
Unlocking network secrets
Domain and IP address analysis
Understanding the DNA of WHOIS – Its definition and purpose
Applicability – Not just domains but IP blocks too
The online magnifying glasses – Popular WHOIS lookup platforms
Finding the connections
The darker side – When attackers use WHOIS
DNS and IP analysis – Connecting domains to infrastructure
Traceroute and network mapping – Navigating the vast cyber seas
Website reconnaissance – Mastering the unseen layers
Web page scraping and analysis
Document and metadata analysis
Identifying hidden information in documents and files
Analyzing document contents for valuable clues
OSINT data visualization
Tools and techniques for visualizing OSINT data
Best practices for using discovery tools
Summary
5
From Recon-ng to Trace Labs – A Tour of the Best Open Source Intelligence Tools
Recon-ng – A powerful OSINT framework
Running modules and gathering information with Recon-ng
Maltego – Visualizing OSINT data and connections
Getting started with Maltego for OSINT investigations
Discovering the infrastructure
Shodan – The search engine for IoT
Getting started with Shodan
Using Shodan’s API
Trace Labs – A powerful OS designed just for OSINT
Overview of the Aircrack-ng suite
Airmon-ng
Airodump-ng
Aireplay-ng
Aircrack-ng
Airbase-ng
Airgraph-ng
Finding hidden networks
Additional open source OSINT tools
SpiderFoot
Twint
Some final thoughts on tools
Keeping up with the open source OSINT landscape
Blogs and websites
Conferences and workshops
Evaluating new tools
Engaging with the OSINT community
Summary
6
The Eyes and Ears of Threat Intelligence – How OSINT Helps Mitigate Cyber Risks
Introduction to threat intelligence and OSINT
Cyber threats and OSINT
Phishing
Social engineering
Malware and ransomware
APTs
Combining OSINT with internal security
Cyber threat intelligence platforms and OSINT integration
Some big names in the game
Incorporating OSINT data into threat intelligence workflows
Sharing OSINT-derived intelligence with other platforms and teams
Building an OSINT-driven cyber threat intelligence program
What are intelligence requirements?
The role of OSINT
Case study: OSINT in a real-world cybersecurity incident
Summary
7
Protecting Your Identity and Organization from Cyber Threats
Understanding the role of OSINT in protecting your identity and organization
The advantages of proactive OSINT research for cybersecurity
Personal digital hygiene and OSINT
Identifying and mitigating risks from your online presence
Enhancing your privacy and security
Assessing and strengthening organizational security with OSINT
Identifying potential vulnerabilities
Identifying and responding to cyber threats such as ransomware
Detecting phishing and social engineering attempts
It’s Exotic Lily story time
The Cobalt Dickens group and their tricky spear-phishing attacks
Investigating cyber incidents and breaches
Uncovering the source, scope, and impact of cyber incidents
Building a resilient cyber defense with OSINT
Collaborating with the cybersecurity community
Adapting to the evolving threat landscape
Updating your OSINT-driven cybersecurity strategy as needed
Don’t forget the tools
Summary
Index
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