Osint (open source intelligence) and Osint Life Cycle

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is a method of gathering information from public or other open sources platforms like social media etc..

Osint Life Cycle

1. Planning and Direction

Goal: Define the intelligence requirements and objectives.
Key Questions:
- What are we trying to find out?
- Who is the target?
- What are the potential sources of information?
Output: A collection plan tailored to meet the objectives.

Goal: Gather data from publicly available sources.
Common Sources:
- Websites & blogs
- Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)
- News outlets
- Government reports
- Whois databases
- Dark web (via TOR)
- Forums & message boards
Tools: Maltego, Shodan, SpiderFoot, TheHarvester, Google Dorking, etc.

Goal: Organize and format the raw data for analysis.
Tasks:
- Filter duplicates
- Convert formats (e.g., PDFs to text)
- Translate content
- Normalize time/date formats
  4. Analysis
Goal: Convert processed data into actionable intelligence.
Methods:
- Correlating information from multiple sources
- Identifying patterns, anomalies, and relationships
- Assessing reliability and relevance
Output: Insights, connections, risk assessments

5. Dissemination
Goal: Share the findings with stakeholders.
Formats:
- Intelligence reports
- Dashboards
- Briefings
Audience: Security teams, management, law enforcement, clients

Goal: Evaluate the effectiveness of the OSINT operation.
Questions:
- Did the intelligence meet the original objectives?
- What gaps or improvements were identified?
- Should the process be refined?
Use: To improve future OSINT cycles.