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Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) - Tools & Techniques

About the course

The Internet is a vital tool for investigation, with individuals now sharing more information on themselves than ever. Through the effective use of web browsers, search engines and social media you can find a plethora of information on an individual, this is referred to as Open-Source Intelligence. This course will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and has been expertly crafted to cover all of the core basics that you will need to know so that you can conduct your own OSINT investigations.

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This course is suitable for anyone in either the public or private sectors, particularly those within law enforcement, corporate security, investigations, journalism and human resources, who are all heavily involved in the collection of information for intelligence purposes.

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The course has been developed by an expert in internet-based criminal investigation via Open-Source methods, who has successfully utilised OSINT techniques during both Police and Private investigations. The trainer has a law enforcement background and successfully used the skills demonstrated within this course to identify and locate criminal individuals.

 

Through this course, you'll learn the best way to set up your machine to conduct investigations, as well as the current techniques utilised in the day to day work of an OSINT professional. This course will demonstrate tools currently available to aid OSINT practitioners in their investigations and research into individuals and businesses. The course also covers Open-Source policy, an often-overlooked section within OSINT training. As well as learning the tools and techniques, it's also crucial to know when you can take action and what action is appropriate; graduates of our training will be educated on UK policy for Open-Source research and investigation, to ensure knowledge of accepted UK guidance for individuals acting on behalf of law enforcement or a business. You will also learn the best way to navigate social media as an OSINT investigator, utilising the latest SOCMINT techniques. You will learn how to search Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn to best gather information on your targets. 

 

At the end of this course, you'll be able to conduct your own OSINT investigations and will have a thorough understanding of the tools at your disposal. Whether you're a solo practitioner just starting out, someone just interested in what an OSINT specialist does or can find out about you, or you're a seasoned professional looking for a refresher and an overview of the best systems currently available, this course will suit your needs.

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This course is modelled on one of the main modules within the College of Policing's Intelligence Professionalisation Programme and is one of the four modules available from Intelligence with Steve that makes up our own Intelligence Professionalisation Programme for Intelligence Officers. 

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The course is available online on both Teachable and Udemy via the above links. An interactive workshop with similar content can also be delivered on-site at any business premises of your choosing, which can be arranged via the contact section on our main page.

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Current Course Modules

Introduction

  • Introduction to me and the course 

  • Foundations of OSINT 

  • Investigative Process Flowcharts

  • OSINT Policy

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Your Set-Up

  • Your hardware 

  • VPN's 

  • Virtual Machines 

  • Virtual Machines - Installing Buscador 

  • Browsers 

  • Setting up your browser for optimal security 

  • Activity Recording 

  • Subject Profile Structure - What to include?

  • Anonymous Bank Cards (Coming Soon)

  • Network Charts (Coming Soon)

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Add-ons

  • Quick Briefing

  • Capturing links

  • Capturing full webpages

  • Quick Web Caches

  • Ad and Script Blocking

  • Secure Connection

  • Media Download

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OSINT Tools

  • A quick briefing on OSINT tools

  • People Search Engines

  • eMail tools

  • Messaging App Security

  • Data Breaches and Passwords

  • Caches

  • Web Domains

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Advanced Searching

  • Site Operators

  • Business Searching

  • Searching for criminal history (Coming Soon)

  • Searching on Vehicles

  • Searching by date posted on Google

  • Searching by an individuals name

 

Social Media​

  • General Account Advice

  • Facebook - Creating an Account

  • Facebook - Searching

  • Facebook - Searching by employer and/ or location (Coming Soon)

  • Facebook - Seeing the Groups a user is a member of (Coming Soon)

  • Facebook - Search posts and photos by location (Coming Soon)

  • Facebook - Searching by advertising history (Coming Soon)

  • Facebook - Extracting a user's data into Excel (Coming Soon)

  • Twitter

  • Twitter - Searching by email address (Coming Soon)

  • Twitter - Analysing Followers (Coming Soon)

  • LinkedIn - Searching by email address

  • LinkedIn - Searching by current and previous employers

  • LinkedIn - Identifying the name of an anonymous "LinkedIn Member" account

  • LinkedIn - Searching without an account

  • Instagram - Downloading a full-size photo (Coming Soon)

  • Instagram - Searching by date posted (Coming Soon)

  • Instagram - Downloading an open user's account history (Coming Soon)

  • TikTok

  • TikTok - Downloading a full-size photo (Coming Soon)

  • TikTok - Searching by date posted (Coming Soon)

  • TikTok - Downloading a user's network (Coming Soon)

  • Snapchat - Viewing a user's story

  • Activity Tracking Apps

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Honeypots

  • Canary Tokens and the alternatives

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Photos and Maps

  • Reverse Image Searching

  • Metadata

  • Mapping Options

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