OSINT (Open Source Intelligence)
Intelligence gathered from publicly available sources including websites, social media, and public records.
Full Definition
Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) refers to the collection and analysis of information gathered from publicly available sources. These sources include websites, social media platforms, news outlets, public government records, job postings, academic publications, and technical databases like Shodan and Censys.\n\nIn cybersecurity, OSINT is used by both defenders and attackers. Threat actors use OSINT during reconnaissance to map an organization's attack surface, identify employees, discover exposed infrastructure, and find information useful for social engineering. Security teams use OSINT for threat hunting, vulnerability discovery, and monitoring brand exposure.\n\nOSINT-driven reconnaissance can reveal a surprising amount of sensitive information: employee names and roles from LinkedIn, corporate infrastructure from DNS records, exposed credentials from public code repositories, and internal tool names from job postings — all without touching a single system.
Related Terms
Reconnaissance
The initial phase of an attack where threat actors gather information about a target.
Attack TypesAttack Surface
The total set of points where an attacker can attempt to enter or extract data from an environment.
Security ConceptsThreat Intelligence
Evidence-based knowledge about existing or emerging threats that informs security decisions.
Threat IntelligenceSocial Engineering
Psychological manipulation of people into performing actions or divulging confidential information.
Attack TypesMonitor Your Exposure on Whiteintel
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