How to Gather Info on Someone through OSINT

Summary

This video script delves into the concept of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), tracing its roots to WWII and emphasizing its modern applications. It explains OSINT as the collection of publicly available information from various sources, including social media and public records. The script introduces techniques like Google hacking, using search operators to uncover hidden data, and tools for facial recognition and reverse image searches. It also covers the use of reverse email searches and the exploration of social media profiles to gather insights into individuals' interests and activities, all while reminding viewers of the ethical implications of such practices.

Takeaways

• 🕵️ Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is not a new technique; it dates back to the earliest intelligence efforts, including its significant use during World War II.
• 📚 Lieutenant General Samuel B. Wilson claimed that 90% of intelligence data was obtained through open sources during his leadership of the American defense intelligence agency in the 1970s.
• 🔍 OSINT refers to the collection of publicly available information about individuals, companies, or organizations from various accessible sources like social media, websites, public records, and news articles.
• 🔑 Google Hacking or Google Dorking is an OSINT technique that uses special search operators on Google to find information not easily accessible through regular searches.
• 🚫 A disclaimer is provided that while gathering public information is legal, using it for malicious intent can lead to trouble, and the video is for educational purposes only.
• 🔎 The script explains how to use search operators like 'site:' to narrow down search results to a specific website, enhancing the effectiveness of OSINT.
• 📄 The use of file type search operators can help find publicly available documents related to a person, which might include court records, resumes, or other official documents.
• 🖼️ Demise, an AI facial recognition tool, can search the internet for the same person based on facial features, providing additional information about their online presence.
• 🔍 Google's reverse image search can offer valuable information about the location or context of a photograph if details are not provided by the subject.
• 📧 Tools like fbos allow for reverse email searches to find social media accounts associated with an email address, revealing more about a person's online activities.
• 🌐 Websites like SocialSearcher.com and CheckUsernames.com are useful for finding social media accounts associated with a person's name or username across multiple platforms.

Q & A

What is the historical context of open source intelligence (OSINT) mentioned in the script?

The script mentions that open source intelligence has been around since the beginning, specifically highlighting its use during the Second World War. Lieutenant General Samuel B. Wilson, who headed the American defense intelligence agency in the 70s, claimed to have received 90% of intelligence data through open sources.

What does the term 'OSINT' stand for and what does it involve?

OSINT stands for Open Source Intelligence. It refers to the process of gathering publicly available information about a person, company, or organization from various sources that are accessible to anyone, such as social media platforms, websites, public records, and news articles.

How can one gather OSINT from a person's social media when certain information is hidden?

If a person's friend list or certain posts are hidden on social media, one can still gather OSINT by looking at the likes or comments on their public profile photo or other posts. This can provide clues such as the full names of their friends and the people they frequently interact with.

What is Google hacking or Google Dorking and how is it used in OSINT?

Google hacking or Google Dorking involves using Google's search engine with special search operators to find information that may not be easily found through regular searches. It can be used to search for specific file types containing a person's name or to refine search results to a particular website.

What is the ethical disclaimer provided in the script regarding the use of OSINT?

The script includes a disclaimer that while gathering publicly available information is legal, using it to compromise security or engaging in other activities with ill intent can still result in trouble. The video is for educational purposes only and strongly discourages unethical behavior.

How can one refine Google search results using special operators for OSINT purposes?

One can refine Google search results by using special search operators like 'site:' to limit results to a specific website, or by using 'filetype:' to search for specific types of documents, such as PDFs, Excel, or Word files, associated with a name.

What is the role of the Google Hacking Database in OSINT?

The Google Hacking Database is a resource where people have created and posted multiple search strings to find information that may not be readily available through regular searches. It can be used to enhance OSINT efforts by providing advanced search techniques.

How can AI facial recognition be utilized in OSINT to gather information about a person?

AI facial recognition, through tools like Demise, can be used to search for the same person across the internet based on their facial features. This can help gather additional information about a person's online presence.

What is a reverse image search and how can it be used in OSINT?

A reverse image search involves uploading a photograph to Google Images or a similar service to find other instances of the same image on the web. This can provide valuable information about where the photograph was taken or other related details.

How can one find social media accounts associated with an email address in OSINT?

Tools like FOBO or fbos can be used to conduct a reverse email search to find social media accounts associated with an email address. This can help explore the online activities and interests of the email address owner.

What are some additional tools and websites mentioned in the script for finding information on both email addresses and phone numbers?

The script mentions websites like SocialSearcher.com for comprehensive social media searches, CheckUsernames.com for finding a specific username across multiple platforms, and That's It for finding information on both email addresses and phone numbers.

Outlines

00:00

🕵️‍♂️ Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) Basics and Techniques

This paragraph introduces the concept of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), which is not a new technique but dates back to World War II. It highlights a claim by Lieutenant General Samuel B. Wilson about the significant percentage of intelligence data acquired through open sources. The paragraph explains that OSINT involves gathering publicly available information about individuals, companies, or organizations from various accessible sources like social media, websites, public records, and news articles. It also discusses a common scenario where information might be hidden on social media and how to use OSINT to find clues through likes or comments on public posts. The paragraph emphasizes the legality of gathering such information for educational purposes and discourages unethical behavior. It introduces the first OSINT technique, Google hacking or Google Dorking, which uses special search operators to find specific information not easily accessible through regular searches.

05:01

🔍 Advanced OSINT Techniques and Tools

The second paragraph delves into advanced OSINT techniques and the use of various tools to enhance information gathering. It explains how to use Google search operators to find documents related to a person's name across different file types and how to refine search results by targeting specific websites. The paragraph also introduces tools like 'demise' for AI facial recognition searches and 'Google Images' for reverse image searches to gather more information about a person's online presence and physical locations. Furthermore, it discusses the use of 'fbos' for reverse email searches to find associated social media accounts and 'socialsearcher.com' for comprehensive searches across multiple platforms. The paragraph concludes with mentions of other tools and resources like 'checkusernames.com' and 'Intel techniques' for gathering information from social media accounts, emphasizing the importance of exploring the OSINT framework for additional tools and methods.

Keywords

💡Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)

Open Source Intelligence, or OSINT, refers to the process of gathering information from publicly available sources to infer knowledge about a person, company, or organization. In the context of the video, OSINT is the main theme, as it discusses the use of publicly accessible data to gather intelligence. For instance, the video explains how to use OSINT techniques to find information about individuals through their social media interactions, public records, and other online presences.

💡Google Hacking

Google Hacking, also known as Google Dorking, is a technique used to find specific information on the internet using advanced search operators in Google. The video uses this term to describe how one can use special search queries to uncover details that are not readily available through regular searches. For example, the script mentions using the 'site:' operator to limit search results to a specific website, which is a common practice in Google Hacking.

💡Search Operators

Search operators are specific terms or symbols that can be used in search engines to refine and narrow down search results. The video explains the use of search operators like 'site:', 'filetype:', and 'intitle:' to perform more targeted searches. These operators are crucial in OSINT as they allow users to extract precise information from vast amounts of publicly available data.

💡Public Records

Public records are official documents or information that is not confidential and can be accessed by the public. In the video, public records are mentioned as a source of information that can be used in OSINT. They may include court records, property records, and other official documents that can provide insights into a person's life.

💡Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms are online services that allow users to create and share content or participate in social networking. The script discusses how these platforms can be a rich source of OSINT, as they often contain publicly available information about individuals, such as their friends, interests, and activities. The video gives an example of using a person's public posts and the associated likes or comments to gather OSINT.

💡Reverse Image Search

A reverse image search is a technique used to find other instances of an image on the internet. The video mentions using Google Images to upload a photo and find related images or information about where the photo was taken. This can be a powerful tool in OSINT for identifying locations or uncovering more information about a person's activities.

💡Facial Recognition

Facial recognition is a technology that identifies or verifies the identity of a person using their facial features. The video introduces a tool called 'demise' that uses AI facial recognition to find the same person across the internet. This technology can be used in OSINT to gather additional information about an individual's online presence.

💡Reverse Email Search

A reverse email search is a method of finding information about an individual based on their email address. The video discusses using a tool called 'fbos' to search for social media accounts associated with an email address. This can help in OSINT to understand more about a person's online activities and the platforms they use.

💡Social Media Accounts

Social media accounts are user profiles on social networking services. The video emphasizes the importance of finding and analyzing social media accounts in OSINT. It mentions tools like 'socialsearcher.com' and 'checkusernames.com' that can help in identifying and exploring a person's presence across various social media platforms.

💡Ethical Behavior

Ethical behavior refers to conducting oneself with integrity and in accordance with moral principles. The video includes a disclaimer about the ethical use of OSINT, stating that while gathering publicly available information is legal, using it for malicious purposes can lead to trouble. It encourages viewers to use OSINT techniques responsibly and for educational purposes only.

Highlights

Open source intelligence (OSINT) has a long history, dating back to World War II.

Lieutenant General Samuel B. Wilson claimed to receive 90% of intelligence data through open sources in the 70s.

OSINT involves gathering publicly available information from various accessible sources.

Examples of OSINT sources include social media platforms, websites, public records, and news articles.

Google hacking or Google Dorking is a technique used in OSINT to find specific information using special search operators.

A disclaimer is provided about the legal and ethical use of OSINT gathering for educational purposes only.

The site: search operator can be used to limit search results to a specific website.

File type search operators can find documents associated with a name, such as PDFs, Excel, or Word files.

Google Dorking can refine search results by targeting specific websites related to the target.

A cheat sheet with various search operators for OSINT is available for further exploration.

The Google Hacking Database contains search strings created by users to find valuable information.

Demise is an AI facial recognition tool that can search for a person across the internet based on their profile picture.

Reverse image search on Google can provide information about the location of a photograph.

FBOS is a tool for conducting reverse email searches to find associated social media accounts.

Social media accounts can reveal a person's interests and hobbies, such as GitHub for programmers or Pixabay for artists.

SocialSearcher.com allows for comprehensive searches across multiple social media platforms simultaneously.

CheckUsernames.com can search for a specific username across over 100 social media platforms.

Phone numbers can also be a valuable source of information in OSINT investigations.

Intel Techniques by Michael Basil is a resource for gathering information from social media accounts.

The video encourages viewers to explore the OSINT framework and its tools for more information.

Transcripts

open source intelligence isn't a modern

technique it has been around since the

very beginning in fact during the second

world war Lieutenant General Samuel B

Wilson who headed the American defense

intelligence agency in the 70s made an

astounding claim that he received 90 of

intelligence data through open sources

but what exactly is open source

intelligence and what does it mean in

the Modern Age of Technology well in

simple terms open source intelligence or

ocean refers to the process of gathering

publicly available information about a

person company or an organization from a

variety of sources that are accessible

for anyone to see these sources can

range from social media platforms and

websites to public records and news

articles for example let's say you want

to find out more information about who

this particular person hangs around with

but when you go to their Facebook's

friend list you notice that they've

hidden or concealed this information so

what can you do in a scenario like this

well if you go ahead and open up their

profile photo cover photo or any other

post made by them that is set to public

you can look at the likes or comments to

possibly get some Clues such as the full

names of their friends and the people

they frequently interact with this small

amount of intelligence that we just

gathered is called open source

intelligence now you might be wondering

that okay so what if we got their full

names how can we find more about them

well this is where our first oceans

technique called Google hacking or

Google Dorking comes into play but

before we get into that a quick

disclaimer while Gathering publicly

available information is legal using it

to compromise security or engaging in

other activities with ill intent can

still result in trouble real quick this

video is meant for educational purposes

only and strongly discourages an ethical

Behavior anyway coming back to the topic

Google Dorking involves utilizing Google

search engine with special search

operators to find information that may

not be easily found through regular

searches for example let's say we're

looking to purchase a Wireless Wi-Fi

adapter and we conduct a search on

Google in this scenario Google will

present us with wireless adapters

available on different websites from

across the globe but what if we

specifically want to see search results

from a particular website like Amazon

well in that case we can employ a

special search operator called site

colon followed by amazon.com in the

search query like this to exclusively

see search results limited to Amazon

this practice is essentially what we

refer to as Google hacking or Google

Dorking now similarly if you possess the

full name of your target you can go

ahead and search for every publicly

available PDF Excel or Word document

posted online containing the exact name

using the file type search operator to

accomplish this you would first enter

the victim's name enclosed an inverted

Comet like this and then write file type

to specify the types of files you want

to search for the all research operator

used here tells the search engine to

also include Excel and Word Documents in

the search results after hitting enter

the search results will display all the

documents that may be associated with

the provided name this can be very

effective as the documents found might

include court records resumes or other

official documents that can give insight

into a person's life the beautiful

aspect of Google Dorking is that if you

wish to refine these search results even

further by targeting a particular

website such as the victims University

or workplace you can achieve it by

incorporating the sitecolon search

operator we discussed earlier now if you

would like to experiment with different

search operators on your own I will

provide a link to a cheat sheet in the

description down below that includes

various search operators specifically

tailored for open source intelligence

Additionally you can also visit a

website called the Google hacking

database where several people have

created and posted multiple search

strings to find juicy information now if

your victim has a photo of themselves as

their profile picture you can conduct a

search for them based on their facial

features using a fascinating tool called

demise this tool utilizes AI facial

recognition to search for the same

person across the internet and help us

gather additional information about

their online presence and if the victim

has upload did a photograph of

themselves standing outside next to a

building or something without providing

any specific information as to where

they might be you can head over to

images.google.com click on search by

image and upload that photograph to

initiate a reverse image search by

analyzing the visual characteristics of

the image and comparing it to similar

images across the web Google May provide

valuable information about where the

photograph was taken or other related

details additionally if you couldn't

find anything using Google images you

can also explore other tools available

for conducting reverse image searches by

searching for them on the Internet next

if you have managed to obtain the email

address of your victim through Google

Dorking or any other means you can also

conduct a reverse email search on them

using a useful tool called fbos this

tool allows you to search for social

media accounts associated with an email

address and explore other activities

carried out by the owner of that email

such as their contributions to Google

Maps finding multiple social media

accounts of our victim is a great way to

learn more about their interests for

example a programmer is likely to have

an active profile on GitHub while an

artist may have profiles on platforms

like Pixar or deviantART exploring

different social media accounts can

provide valuable insights into the

Hobby's passions and creative Pursuits

of an individual when looking for social

media accounts associated with a person

there's another fantastic website called

socialsearcher.com this website allows

you to perform a comprehensive Google

search using the victim's full name

across multiple social media platforms

simultaneously and save a lot of

valuable time slash effort you can also

head over to checkusernames.com and

search for a specific username on over

more than 100 social media platforms

this tool can be very effective as many

people prefer using a single username

across the internet similar to feos a

website called that's that is another

great tool for finding information on

both email addresses and phone numbers

phone numbers can also provide a wealth

of information when conducting an ocean

investigation and if you're interested

in learning more about phonos and

techniques you can check out my detailed

video on the topic by clicking the I

button above Intel techniques by Michael

basil is also a good resource which

provides multiple tools to gather

information about our targets from their

social media accounts this website

gathers all the important links in one

place saving us time that we would

otherwise spend manually going through

our targets profiles anyway guys this is

it for the video now I could go ahead

and discuss several more tools and

sources that can be utilized for finding

information about someone but I want to

encourage you to visit the ocean

framework yourself and explore the

multiple tools available there if you

have any questions regarding the video

make sure to ask them in the comments

section below and I will see you in the

next one