For threat agents, reconnaissance (scouting) and gathering intelligence are vital. The aim is to get as much information about a potential target, as possible. With that information, they can exploit any weaknesses in a system or an individual, which will allow them to gain access to a system. One type of data that is often overlooked by victims and hackers alike is publicly available data. The collecting and analysis of data acquired from open sources (overt and publicly available sources) is known as open-source intelligence (OSINT). Some examples of OSINT are social media, forums, news, blogs, public data and reports, and other publicly available materials.

Red or blue, OSINT could effectively assist threat agents and researchers alike in discovering dark places that they may be unaware of. It allows them to create attack scenarios for red teams or hypotheses for threat hunting. Most cybersecurity initiatives, in my opinion, should include OSINT; a service that is often overlooked. A fantastic one-stop shop for the best OSINT content is compiled by @hatless1der and is available at the website: https://start.me/p/DPYPMz/the-ultimate-osint-collection.

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