30 Best OSINT Resources: from Courses to Tools

The landscape of open-source intelligence is so vast and varied that finding your way around it can be a little bewildering. But fret not! We’ve compiled our top recommendations across a range of formats to help you navigate and get the most out of this ever-shifting sphere.

From blockchain handbooks, infosec news outlets, and online video courses to up-to-date blogs, live-and-kicking podcasts, and software solutions to a host of cyber threats, our shortlist of best OSINT resources has something for everyone with interest in open-source intelligence.

OSINT Books
OSINT News
OSINT Courses
OSINT Podcasts
OSINT Research Papers
OSINT Blogs
Best OSINT Tools

OSINT Books

If you’re after a more in-depth look at different aspects of the OSINT world or a trusty handbook you can keep turning back to, we’d suggest sinking your teeth into one of the following titles

Open Source Intelligence Techniques

by Michael Bazzell

Feel like your investigative approaches need invigorating? This essential handbook is an OSINT classic that helps professionals and enthusiasts alike to think like a hacker, keeping investigations effective and fresh. Distilling over 18 years’ experience, ex-FBI computer crime specialist Michael Bazzell has put together an exhaustive step-by-step guide, covering all manner of OSINT resources, software, and techniques for collecting and analyzing open data.

*25 chapters packed with hands-on advice that’ll help you think outside the box*

Cybersecurity Blue Team Toolkit

by Nadean H Tanner

If you want cybersecurity advice, you can’t do much better than getting guidance from a Former Department of Defense employee turned university lecturer. In this thoroughgoing book, Nadean Tanner delivers a comprehensive look at cybersecurity in a detailed but totally comprehensible way. Given a wide cybersecurity context, you’ll gain a better understanding of where OSINT tools fit into the picture of cyber defense. Full of practical advice, this book can bring huge value to the work of cybersecurity management, whether they are old hands or new to the field.

*Easily navigated, the book is designed as a user-friendly tool for dipping into on a daily basis*

Investigating Cryptocurrencies: Understanding, Extracting, and Analyzing Blockchain Evidence

by Nick Furneaux

Blockchain technologies are not as difficult to grasp as you might assume. From setting up your own crypto account and mapping addresses to filtering raw data on blockchain ledgers, tracking money and identifying users with OSINT tools, this book has it all. In an accessible style, Nick Furneaux sheds light on how exploring blockchains can greatly enhance the work of both corporate security and law enforcement specialists in counteracting cybercrime.

*With $150 billion in cryptocurrency circulation, this title is of great value to any open-source investigator*

Practical Cyber Intelligence: How action-based intelligence can be an effective response to incidents

by Wilson Bautista

If you want to get your head around processes for response mechanisms, threat modeling and intelligence frameworks, genuine case studies and how to establish a streamlined team, look no further. This hands-on guide for cybersecurity teams explains all aspects of building a defensive framework and how to apply different products such as OSINT software in achieving and maintaining effective security strategies.

*Experience in security operations, incident response or investigation is desirable to make the most of the subjects presented*

OSINT News

The ever-shifting landscape of OSINT can be difficult to keep track of. Luckily, from mainstream journalism to more niche media, there are plenty of well-maintained news outlets covering the realm of cybersecurity, infosec, and open-source intelligence so you never need to miss out on what’s happening.

Andy Greenberg for WIRED

An award-winning senior writer for WIRED, Andy Greenberg relentlessly has his ear to the ground for all news connected with security, privacy, and information freedom. Based in WIRED's New York office, he publishes fresh articles on a regular basis that align with current affairs.

*Greenberg is author of Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers*

The Daily Swig

The media arm of the web security company PortSwigger, The Daily Swig keeps its readership posted on the latest cyber-attacks and data breaches, malware and exploits, security vulnerabilities, cybersecurity policy and legislation, alongside general industry news and trends.

Privacy Affairs

Although registered as a single legal entity based in Romania, Privacy Affairs is a small collection of cybersecurity specialists, tech journalists, and privacy advocates based in different locations around the world. Regularly publishing data privacy and cybersecurity research, as well as practical advice for professionals in the field, the team is devoted to promoting a free and safe internet.

*Detailed, accurate, truthful and unbiased resources for anyone interested in learning about online privacy*

Cyber Threat Intelligence

A website publishing weekly round-ups of the biggest stories from the infosec world. Articles appearing on Cyber Threat Intelligence detail recent cyber security incidents, industry trends, as well as providing original analysis of new threats that have come into their radar.

*A navigable site to help you stay abreast of cybersecurity developments*

Threatpost

A long-running, independent news and analysis outlet, threatpost sheds light right across the cybersecurity landscape, publishing everything from threat research and vulnerability analysis to new malware threats, industry trends, and much more.

*Get your daily dose of cyber security news*

OSINT Courses

Interested in learning more? From cheap-and-cheerful video courses to more heavy-duty academic affairs, plenty of great educational programs exist for anyone seeking a more structured way to learn more about open-source intelligence. Get involved in an interactive course to expand your knowledge of OSINT tools, methods, resources and techniques, and jump-start your intelligence career.

SANS Institute. Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) Gathering and Analysis

A leading academy for training infosec professionals, SANS institute puts on some superb courses in the field of open-source intelligence. Their OSINT Gathering and Analysis program empowers students to successfully leverage open data, with hands-on exercises designed to help students develop their practical skills, master OSINT tools, and conduct fully-fledged investigations to a truly professional level.

*You can check out the course demo before signing up*

Udemy. OSINT: Open-source Intelligence

Heard of Udemy? This is a huge resource of video courses that offers some valuable OSINT training sessions at a very affordable price. The OSINT: Open-source Intelligence program will give you a foundational knowledge of OSINT tools and methods and practical skills in working with some free software and other technical resources.

For a more comprehensive cybersecurity course that includes open-source intelligence techniques, the Complete Social Engineering, Phishing, OSINT & Malware program covers a broader focus for burgeoning ethical hackers.

CEPOL. Open-source Intelligence (OSINT) and Its Solutions

CEPOL is a European Union agency devoted to the development, implementation and coordination of training for law enforcement workers. Their online course OSINT and Its Solutions offers extensive course materials including case studies, webinars, and practical exercises.

*Courses are carried out online via CEPOL’s Law Enforcement Education Platform*

The McAfee Institute. Certified Open Source Intelligence (C|OSINT)

Running since 2010, The McAfee Institute is a certification body and training organization for the intelligence and investigative sectors. Their Open Source Intelligence (C|OSINT) program is more upmarket but delivers unique materials and a globally recognized certification.

OSINT Podcasts

Podcasts are a godsend when you’re constantly on the move or short of time. Simply plug into your headphones, and you can digest news and information around almost any subject of interest. The field of OSINT has some compelling productions which can be easily absorbed during a commute or a stroll through the park.

Janes

A global open-source intelligence company specializing in military, national security, aerospace and transport, Janes publishes a fascinating, up-to-date podcast, which has new episodes on a regular basis, and covers a range of hot topics, news, and debates around the intelligence sector.

*Validated open-source intelligence across four core capability areas: threat, equipment, country and the defense industry*

Trace Labs. Breadcrumbs

Making the most of a crowdsourcing format, Trace Labs is a Canada-based nonprofit devoted to collecting open-source intelligence through public contributions. In their Breadcrumbs podcast, available via Spotify, Trace Labs discuss the OSINT tools, topics, methods, and resources that are a part of open data collection.

*Simply stream it or add it to your Spotify library*

Privacy, Security, and OSINT with Michael Bazzell

Author of the essential Open Source Intelligence Techniques listed above, Michael Bazzell runs a popular podcast covering a range of OSINT and infosec news and opinion. New episodes are frequently posted on the SoundCloud page and can be accessed absolutely free.

*Your weekly update for privacy, digital security, and OSINT opinion and news*

CyberWire Daily

This podcast certainly has its finger on the pulse. With new episodes being broadcast every single weekday, the topics under discussion are naturally hot off the press. Tune in for a constant stream of interviews with a wide variety of experts spanning different industries, academies, and research organizations from around the globe.

Risky Biz

Broadcast every week without fail, the Risky Business podcast features news and expert opinion from respected figures in the security industry. The award-winning journalist Patrick Gray hosts the show, which has now become a staple digest for infosec professionals.

*A newsletter subscription is available for those who want news to their email*

OSINT Research Papers

Hungry for more? Why not delve into some academic OSINT resources. Studies and white papers can be readily downloaded from research outlets and software developers.

RAND Corporation

An American non-profit and think tank RAND corporation, conducts and publishes a range of research that informs the United States Armed Forces. Through the website, OSINT enthusiasts can read up on various aspects of the specialism from Defining OSINT for the Defense Enterprise to The Online Extremist Ecosystem.

*The organization seeks solutions to public policy challenges for a safer, more secure world*

OSINT tools have been a total game-changer in the law enforcement sector. Activities and connections that were previously considered to be unknowable or untraceable, can now be found. How? Get the answers in our concise whitepaper, packed with industry insights, the latest trends and authentic use cases!

*An informative and comprehensive read describing the use of OSINT in the law enforcement sector*

OSINT Blogs

With a number of OSINT and infosec blogs out there, you can pick and choose to get all the industry info you could possibly hope for. Whether you’re looking for mainstream news or niche stories, technical articles or the latest threat intelligence, the following list should keep you engaged.

Secjuice

Fancy a regular dose of cybersecurity news and research created by top infosec professionals from around the globe? Secjuice delivers just that – reader-friendly articles focussing on cybersecurity, information security, network security, hacking, and OSINT tools and methods. Each coming straight from the horse’s mouth, the pieces are totally up-to-date and always finished to a high standard.

Our space for publishing articles spanning the entire OSINT sector. We hand-pick topics of particular interest including the latest events and trends in the field from low-key media curiosities to globally breaking news, as well as case studies and guides, best practices, product updates, guides for using OSINT tools and much more.

*Clear and comprehensible OSINT articles*

Sector q35

This blog delivers a constant flow of news surrounding the OSINT world. Readers can access the expansive and continually growing archive of articles, or check the space for a weekly dose of the latest topics and trends permeating the industry.

*New articles published every Monday at 8:00 AM CEST*

Public Intelligence

Set up in 2009, Public Intelligence is a research outlet whose studies are derived from open sources. Focusing primarily on cybersecurity issues, they aim to publish balanced work which is as informed as possible to help readers navigate their way through all the misinformation skewing opinion in the public domain.

*The issues covered tend to be America-centric*

OSINT Combine

A globally recognized, OSINT Combine maintains a current and accessible blog, touching on a wide range of focuses across the open-source intelligence arena. Articles contain a good deal of practical information, useful to anyone connected with the open-source intelligence field.

*Australian company specializing in open-source intelligence training and software*

OSINT Tools

SL Crimewall

Our top pick is a full-cycle, standalone OSINT platform—SL Crimewall. This is an all-in-one solution that simplifies the entire intelligence cycle, from data extraction through visualization and analysis to the final report. Offering a sleekly designed, user-friendly interface and a huge array of search methods developed from the ground up, SL Crimewall is an industry-leading solution in terms of capability and operability.

Product Features

Comprehensive Data Extraction. Access to more than 1700 search methods spanning 500 open sources, including all major social media platforms, messengers, and the Dark Web.
Collaborative Mode. A project board feature where members of the team can instantly share and analyze evidence, develop hypotheses, and narrow in on details.
Data Visualization Options. Graph View for carrying out link analysis, Map View for finding geographical patterns, and Table View for organizing case content in a logical, accessible way.
ML-Driven Models. Generative AI and NLP models allow users to process huge quantities of data in highly controlled ways quickly. This massively reduces workloads and moves cases forward much faster.
Script Builder. An internal tool allowing experienced users to construct custom scripts for processing and analyzing data. In turn, less experienced colleagues can use these scripts as presets, allowing them to work with data much more efficiently.
Monitoring. An automated surveillance feature that tracks the ongoing activities of a company or individual and sends the user notifications when there are changes.
Reports. Versatile options for summarizing the findings of a case, from quick exports with a couple of clicks to custom-made layouts.

SL Private Platform

An on-premise powerhouse, SL Private Platform is our enterprise-grade OSINT solution. Installed into your IT infrastructure, the system combines native information with open data from our most expansive array of sources, bringing a huge depth and breadth to investigations while keeping all work strictly private and secure. With multiple customization options, advanced ML-based search models can be specifically developed in accordance with the needs and objectives of the organization.

*Customization options, private data storage, and our widest range of search methods*

Maltego

An industry-leading open data analysis solution, Maltego is an open-data visualization and link analysis tool operating at the forefront of the open-source intelligence field. With its intuitive interface and an extensive array of plug-ins, Maltego empowers businesses and governmental bodies from around the globe to achieve their investigation goals.

i2

A cutting-edge program for conducting effective data analysis, i2 has gained huge traction across the OSINT sphere. The superb interface allows users to conduct multi-dimensional analytics which serves a wide range of purposes across different industries and sectors from the creation of actionable intelligence to effective threat countermeasures.

*The i2 interface showing digital footprints and geo data*

We hope this round-up has given you some fresh ideas for developing your personal journey through the OSINT landscape and will help you pursue your interests in the field. If you would like to find out more about the tools Social Links develop to help professionals and organizations around the globe achieve their intelligence objectives, fill out our short request form and we’ll get back to you soon to arrange a demonstration.

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