OSINT Protips
Collection of useful OSINT tips and tricks.
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Collection of useful OSINT tips and tricks.
Last updated
Was this helpful?
If you follow my Twitter (), you may have noticed that recently have been going on a tweeting spree providing useful OSINT tips and tricks using the hashtag .
For those who don't use and/or don't care about Twitter, you can view all of these pro-tips on this page. I will be updating this page whenever I post a new OSINT protip.
Posted on 4/11/2021 at 11:17 PM.
URL:
Protip:
You can easily download any Google document for offline use by simply editing its URL. Example (Using 's Online Investigation Toolkit):
Just add /export?format=<file type> to the document's URL!
/spreadsheets/d/<document ID>/export?format=<file type> and/or /document/d/<document ID>/export?format=<file type>
Export spreadsheets in pdf or xlsx format. Export documents in pdf, docx, epub, txt, md, and more!
Posted on 6/11/2021 at 3:42 PM.
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Protip 2:
You can view and download an #Instagram post in full resolution by simply adding /media/?size=l to the post URL.
You can also use `?size=m`, if you want a smaller resolution.
Posted on 8/11/2021 at 3:18 AM.
There are archives of Chrome, Firefox and Edge browser extensions that allow you to download older versions, view history, see developer information and other metadata.
This is a tool for downloading and extracting the source code from a .crx file:
These archives can be very useful when researching and discovering malicious activity!
Posted on 8/11/2021 at 10:59 PM.
Get yourself a library card (Register with fake information, if possible).
Many times local libraries offer free access to large datasets such as immigration records, ancestry data, newspaper archives, current and historical maps, and much more.
Posted on 10/11/2021 at 12:29 PM.
Use 3rd party viewers to browse Instagram profiles without having to use a sock-puppet account.
Also, it's worth noting that sometimes these pages have been archived on the Wayback Machine and archive.today.
So it's worth checking in case you encounter a private account or to see if an Instagram account has deleted some of their posts!
Posted on 11/10/2021 at 6:41 PM.
Flowcharts, use them.
These will ensure that you don't potentially miss anything while investigating different platforms and subjects. Extremely useful!
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Posted on 12/11/2021 at 7:16 PM.
Federal and local governments often offer GIS data and other data sets for free. Including interactive maps, property, environmental and infrastructure information for specific areas.
Many of them can be found here:
Here is another example of what I'm talking about here.
This is a great collection of Canadian open data portals, both federal and provincial. This site also provides some other useful non-Canadian data sets.
Posted on 13/11/2021 at 6:27 PM.
OSINT is essentially an umbrella term for intelligence work. You should familiarize yourself with the common acronyms used in the in intelligence field, as you will likely encounter them in your journey. Read more here:
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Posted on 13/11/2021 at 8:19 PM.
If you didn't know about this before, you should!
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Posted on 14/11/2021 at 5:32 PM.
Example: johnathandoe@gmail.com and johnathan.doe@gmail.com is the same address, but they provide different results:
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Posted on 18/11/2021 at 4:47 PM.
IP addresses can sometimes be useful. Other than geolocation, you can also check to see if and what torrents have been downloaded by searching a specific IP:
Posted on 18/11/2021 at 9:18 PM.
Sometimes it's needed to use foreign information services while working on a specific case. Here is a list of telephone and business directories for different parts of the world. Very useful!
Translation may be needed.
Posted on 19/11/2021 at 7:09 PM.
Step 2: Use your phones camera and follow Instagram's instructions.
Posted on 22/11/2021 at 2:16 AM.
Books. They contain lots of information, so you should read some! Here is a list of great OSINT books:
Open Source Intelligence Techniques, 8th Edition by Bazzell, M.
US Army ATP 2-22.9.
The Psychology of Intelligence Analysis by Heuer, R.
These are all certainly worth downloading and reading. Go get learn't!
Posted on 23/11/2021 at 7:32 PM.
There are many datasets, maps and more online for many different, and very specific things. Everything from public toilets to license plates. Here are a few examples:
Posted on 25/11/2021 at 10:23 PM.
You can search for amateur radio operators by callsign, name or FRN. Results can provide a person's full name, callsign, addresses and in some cases, felony records.
Posted on 3/12/2021 at 1:09 AM.
When investigating footage coming out of conflict areas, it's important to identify the types of ordnance used and where it came from.
Here are a few great resources:
Being able to identify other things like firearms, ordnance, vehicles, aircraft, boats, uniforms and more is also important.
I have a large list of resources to help identify these different types of military equipment, find it here:
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Posted on 4/12/2021 at 9:45 PM.
Online maps exist for just about anything. Locations of military bases to Orthodox churches, and everything in between.
Here's a few:
As always, I keep a list of things like this over on my blog and also on GitHub.
Posted on 9/12/2021 at 10:30 PM.
S P A C E
The last frontier is certainly an interesting one to research! Earths orbit is a fun thing to investigate, see how polluted our orbit actually is. Check these tools out:
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Posted on 12/12/2021 at 6:32 PM.
There are a few databases of scammers available online. Search by email, crypto, name, etc. Some of these sites are crowd-sourced. So there is a risk of false positives.
Posted on 14/12/2021 at 12:04 AM.
When searching for a person, username, email or phone number. Sometimes you can discover additional information by searching with emojis.
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Email addresses are a very powerful piece of information to have.
Discover email addresses via domain:
Confirm that it belongs to your target and see what services they use:
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Check for any PGP keys:
Search for any additional information via breached data:
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Twitter lists are a great source of information about all kinds of different subjects bundled into one. Here are a few that I've made:
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Some other great lists made by other Twitter users that are certainly worth following.
Newspapers, both current and historic, are very valuable sources. Marriages, events, obituaries and more can be found.
Here's a few useful sites.
Your local library.
Business and corporation registries can reveal a wealth of info about a company. Most countries offer searchable databases.
Ever wanted to remove an object, person or any defects from a picture to have better reverse image results?
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When working with onion sites, they may have been archived using clearnet proxies.
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Here are some other Tor2Web gateways to check the archives for. Some of these gateways still work, and some do not. Just add to the end of any onion URL:
.sh
.ly
.ws
.to
.cab
.city
.direct
.top
.rip
.plus
.link
[3/3]
Or replace the .onion part of the URL with these:
tor2web.org
tor2web.fi
tor2web.blutmagie.de
s1.tor-gateways.de
s2.tor-gateways.de
s3.tor-gateways.de
s4.tor-gateways.de
s5.tor-gateways.de
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Here's some great resources.
Posted on 31/1/2022 at 1:11 PM.
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Research papers can be an excellent source of information. Here are some great archives.
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Here are a few more sites worth checking out as well.
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WiFi BSSIDs can be very useful during an investigation. Can provide addresses, or even track a targets movements.
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Locating geotagged posts is very useful when researching on-going events, protests and emergencies. Here are some great tools for this:
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Here are some other useful tools when working with Reddit.
Passports and other identification documents are important in daily life and in any investigation. Being able to identify them and verify legitimacy is essential.
Some other great resources for identification documents and licenses.
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People tend to re-use the same usernames across multiple platforms. Use this to your advantage to find new pivot points.
Searching for specific strings across paste and code repo sites can sometimes reveal a wealth of interesting data. Here are some useful tools.
Disclaimer:
As breach data is technically open-source. The malicious use of it can have heavy legal implications.
Using this data for credential-stuffing, phishing, blackmail or any other malicious purpose is against the law.
In other words, don't be shitty.
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Stolen property databases are a great resource during loss prevention/asset recovery cases. From vehicles to firearms, here are a few resources.
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Public webcams and WAN facing surveillance cameras can be a great tool for monitoring situations, tracking POIs and more. Some useful tools.
Uncovering a targets older and/or alternate usernames can provide additional leads and much more information. Be sure to check for them!
Reverse image searching can uncover unexpected results. From locating original works, identifying objects, and locating POIs.
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Landmark identification and pinpointing locations where an image or video was taken is a very good skill when investigating current and past events.
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Historical WHOIS and DNS records can reveal ownership details or locate other important details via past SOA records.
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Property and real estate records can reveal loads of information like 360° tours, floor plans, construction details, owners and more.
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There are so many social media platforms out there. It's important to check these "lesser known" platforms during investigations.
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Essential for the freeflow of information. Whether you are pro or anti-piracy, these libraries are important! Find information on almost any subject.
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During the holidays, people tend to post pictures of their family, loved ones and even pets.
Take advantage of this! Look at friends and family profiles for updated photos and information about your targets.
Also, Happy Holidays everyone!
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Image boards like 4chan can reveal a ton of information on just about anything. Searching archives can help locate posts, comments, images, etc. Beware, lots of NSFW.
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Disclaimer: As breach data is technically open-source. The malicious use of it can have heavy legal implications. Using this data for credential-stuffing, phishing, blackmail or any other malicious purpose is against the law. In other words, don't be shitty.
The ability to recognize and identify firearms is essential when investigating images and footage coming out of combat zones and other conflict areas.
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CVEs are discovered daily. It's important to stay updated. Also, PoC is fun to play with!
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The value that email addresses have during investigations is unmatched. You can find out many new things.
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Country-specific search engines and web directories can help you uncover plenty of useful information.
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Sometimes its necessary to crack/decode various hashes and encoded strings during investigations.
For everything else, use hashcat and wordlists.
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Example:
URL:
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Here is another useful archive of add-ons:
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Created by , so go give him a follow and star his GitHub:
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Simple way to bypass the login prompt when scrolling through an profile.
This technique also works with .
URL:
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addresses ignore dots, but everything else usually does not. Potentially discover new information and additional leads!
URL:
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Is banning your sockpuppets? Use this simple trick to bypass their new "video verification" data collection scheme.
Step 1: Go to
URL:
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If you want to read more, check out these great lists of related books and research papers.
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Check out my growing list of resources for all things space:
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Posted on 17/12/2021 at 11:05 PM. URL:
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Posted on 22/12/2021 at 8:31 PM. URL:
Protip 23:
[OSINT]
[GEOINT]
[ORBINT]
Protip 23:
[OPSEC/Privacy]
[HUMINT/SE]
[PhySec]
[InfoSec]
[Spycraft]
Protip 23:
[Breaches/Leaks]
[OOSI]
[OSINT Companies]
Posted on 4/1/2022 at 6:15 PM. URL:
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Posted on 9/1/2022 at 6:46 PM. URL:
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Posted on 14/1/2022 at 6:21 PM. URL:
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This is a great technique for both reverse image searching and GEOINT things. Also, do yourself a favor and follow . You will learn a lot from him!
"This is brilliant & extremely useful for .
Then TRY this one: it's free!"
Posted on 14/1/2022 at 7:19 PM. URL:
Protip 27:
Adding .pet to an onion URL and searching it on and/or Wayback sometimes can provide archived copies.
Example: -
Posted on 22/1/2022 at 10:26 PM. URL:
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Drone footage can give you better angles and viewpoints during investigations.
URL:
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And of course,
Posted on 10/2/2022 at 7:35 PM. URL:
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Thanks to for creating such a useful tool! Be sure to follow him for more awesome stuff.
Posted on 18/03/2022 at 6:48 PM. URL:
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Posted on 5/4/2022 at 5:56 PM. URL:
Protip 32:
can be an invaluable resource for any investigation. From deleted content, profiling a subject, or locating the source of content. Here are some tools.
Posted on 7/4/2022 at 5:42 PM. URL:
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Posted on 26/4/2022 at 6:48PM. URL:
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Posted on 13/5/2022 at 7:56 PM. URL:
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Posted on 2/6/2022 at 7:20 PM. URL:
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data can reveal a ton of useful information and new leads. Here are a few great (mainly paid) services.
Posted on 21/6/2022 at 9:34 PM. URL:
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Posted on 7/7/2022 at 6:55 PM. URL:
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Posted on 13/7/2022 at 10:39 PM. URL:
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Posted on 29/7/2022 at 6:43 PM. URL:
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Posted on 4/8/2022 at 7:46 PM. URL:
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Whether you are a drug user or investigator (or both). Being able to identify and research chemicals is essential for both harm-reduction and investigations.
Posted on 12/8/2022 at 12:42 AM. URL:
Protip 42:
Finding videos by location, finding comments, viewing metadata, and locating removed content can uncover essential information!
Posted on 19/8/2022 at 1:42 PM. URL:
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Being able to search through public AWS buckets and open drives can help you locate some very interesting things.
Posted on 2/9/2022 at 1:42 PM. URL:
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Posted on 9/9/2022 at 6:16 PM. URL:
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Posted on 19/9/2022 at 7:36 PM. URL:
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Identifying and monitoring transactions is essential when working on any crypto case. From ransomware to typical scams.
Posted on 29/9/2022 at 7:36 PM. URL:
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Posted on 14/10/2022 at 8:10 PM. URL:
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Industry and infrastructure maps are essential when doing , environmental monitoring, threat assessments, etc.
Posted on 29/10/2022 at 10:09 PM. URL:
Protip 49:
()
Thanks !
Posted on 11/11/2022 at 4:12 PM. URL:
Protip 50:
is becoming more popular, so it is becoming more essential to include this platform during investigations.
Posted on 6/12/2022 at 11:44 PM. URL:
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Posted on 23/12/2022 at 8:45 PM. URL:
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Posted on 21/1/2023 at 9:13 PM. URL:
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is great for privacy, and finding loads of information on just about anything. Here are some great search engines.
Posted on 4/2/2023 at 9:34 PM. URL:
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Searching through subtitles via specific keywords or phrases is excellent for finding videos of interest and/or locating additional information on an event.
Posted on 3/3/2023 at 4:22 PM. URL:
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Posted on 23/3/2023 at 1:49 AM. URL:
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data can uncover all kinds of information about a target. Emails, usernames, IPs, etc. This new service from will assist you with most investigations.
Posted on 12/5/2023 at 7:38 PM. URL:
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Searching for data on the network can help uncover some very useful things. Datasets, books, videos and pretty much anything else.
Posted on 17/6/2023 at 3:42 AM. URL:
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Posted on 14/6/2023 at 8:08 PM. URL:
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The Internet is an interesting place. Finding information on devices and networks is an essential skill for threat detection and OSINT.
Posted on 2/8/2023 at 8:00 PM. URL:
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Tracking aircraft is very important for all types of investigations and for research. is also a lot of fun!
Posted on 7/8/2023 at 11:37 PM. URL:
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Ship tracking via can give insight into vessel locations, routes, global trade, and even illicit trade.
Posted on 8/8/2023 at 6:42 PM. URL:
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Posted on 18/8/2023 at 8:55 PM. URL:
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Posted on 24/8/2023 at 7:09 PM. URL:
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can be extremely useful during a crises, and can provide good information on a target person or place.
Posted on 18/9/2023 at 11:11 PM. URL:
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Posted on 5/10/2023 at 1:39 AM. URL:
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