Open Source Intelligence: Impact in modern time

Abstract: Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is becoming more important day by day as the data 'circulating' through the internet is increasing continuously. Besides its necessity, its influence is also astonishing. In our current time Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is affecting almost every domain including most imperative ones like national security, business, cybersecurity, and journalism. This field proves that how much publicly available data is key to intelligence information. Imagine Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) as a treasure map, and modern tools like AI are the tools that help you decipher it and unlock your desired outcome.

Keywords: OSINT, government intelligence, data, publicly available information, AI

                                       Introduction

OSINT is the collection and analysis of data that can be found from publicly available sources. Main purpose of OSINT is to gather intelligence information. It is utilized by government intelligence to monitor events, apparatus, and people. These are the ‘targets of interest’ (ToIs)[1]. This thesis aims to explore real-life applications and case studies of OSINT.

                                       Importance

The data is converted into intelligence information through processing and analysis, or , to put it another way, into an intelligence product that is in its turn a critical component of intelligence work[2]. AI has become increasingly important in the OSINT process as the amount of publicly available open source data has increased. Entity extraction, text mining, machine learning, pattern matching, and natural language processing to some extent, made jobs easier for OSINT practitioners. Because AI takes over and automates some of the work, it has made the process relatively simple. Since OSINT is less expensive, risk-free, and based on publicly available data, its demand and acceptance rate are rising daily. Data collection, processing, analysis, and extraction are the four main components of an OSINT operation. OSINT is mostly dependent on data that is taken from publicly accessible sources. The main task of the processing step is to ensure that the raw data obtained during the data collecting phase is suitable for analysis by validating and eliminating noise. Exploitation, sometimes referred to as the analysis phase, is responsible for ascertaining the veracity of the information analyzed in the previous phase and its relative value to the intelligence community. During analysis step data is converted into OSINT resources. Then this material is extracted by diverse tools. Web 3.0, which will enable the development of a global data warehouse where any data format may be shared and analyzed over any network and device, is what OSINT will look like in the future[3].

                                       Case Studies

1- Organization that tracked and investigated hacker group with OSINT. The journey started after their investigator got a phishing email in spam box[4].

2- Analyst who used OSINT to reveal the information about Russian preparations and plans on Ukraine before the war. He overtly shows how Russia moved its troops and used various logistics paths to get ready for invasion of Ukraine[5].

                                       Conclusion

With the never stopping technological advancements and their impact on improvement in practical ability of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), it will be with us for a long time. The data flood in the internet is making Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) harder and more necessary. 

Moreover Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is no longer a tool in the intelligence community, but the key part of intelligence information. We should focus on implementing AI in Cyber Security through the use of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT).

                                      Bibliography

1.Stephen Pitchard - OSINT: What is open source intelligence and how is it used?

2. Tomislav Ivanjko, Tomislav Dokman - Open Source Intelligence (OSINT): Issues andTrends

3. Yogish Pai U, Krishna Prasad K - Open Source Intelligence and its Applications in Next Generation Cyber Security - A Literature Review

4. Center of Excellence - A Real OSINT Case: Uncovering a Hacker Group

5. Niels Groeneveld - Unmasking The Invisible: A Comprehensive OSINT Analysis with PublicSonar on Russia's Pre-Invasion Maneuvers in Ukraine