OSINT: Open-Source Intelligence

For hackers, investigators, and everyone else

Created byJeff Minakata

Last updated 8/2026

English

English [Auto],Italian [Auto],

What you'll learn

By the end of the course you will have a good understanding of OSINT, how to perform it, the tools necessary
How your own information online could be used against you.
You will learn Linux basics, and how to setup your own virtual lab.
Various tools and the use cases for each

Course content

19 sections • 132 lectures • 11h 54m total length

Introduction4:49
An introduction to the course, myself, and expectations for OSINT
Disclaimer1:38
The tools presented in this course are free and open-source
All of the information that we gather and analyze are from publicly available sources
While OSINT is also used by hackers, OSINT in itself is not illegal (check with your local laws). We are not exploiting systems or people to obtain this information.
I am not responsible for misuse of the information or techniques demonstrated in this course.
I am not responsible for for lost, corrupted, or otherwise altered/damaged files, software or hardware.
This course is presented on a "As is" basis.
What is OSINT and who is OSINT for?7:37
Explore open source intelligence (osint) using data from publicly available sources to build a broader picture, including emails, social media, background checks, and users like law enforcement and journalists.
Mental preparation5:32
Develop mental preparation for investigations by staying calm, setting goals, and pacing through emotionally challenging findings. Stay organized, decompress, and remain objective when facing disturbing content from the dark web.
Data sheet4:38
OSINT Steps7:00
Learn osint steps from defining the goal and starting evidence to a checklist-driven process that begins with a social media post and includes credibility checks, domain lookups, and reporting.
What will you need?2:20
What will you need for this course?
Your tools will break3:49
Osint tools and websites will break as platforms change; stay flexible by using alternative tools or fall back on solid methodology to continue open-source investigations.
Ask1:46
Ask what information the client already has before beginning an investigation to save time, avoid redundancy, and tailor findings to what they need.
Crossing the line2:56
Navigate ethical and legal boundaries in osint, recognizing investigators must stay lawful and avoid phishing or illegal scans; follow local laws and client guidelines to do everything by the book.
Bias7:40
Maintain objectivity by recognizing personal biases, resisting outside influence, and verifying evidence to uncover the truth in investigations, while avoiding misleading sources and conclusions.

OSINT Report Template10:16
Explore how to structure an OSINT investigation with templates and client intake, defining scope, data handling, and reporting, using CSI Linux case tools for open-source and dark web investigations.
OSINT Presentation7:25
Learn to craft clear osint reports by drafting a pre-investigation contract, defining scope and milestones, and using a data collection matrix with reliability ratings to explain findings.
Client Intake form and OSINT Form18:50
Demonstrates OSINT templates and intake forms for documenting investigations, including subject profiles, digital footprints, social media, assets, and evidence logs, plus client intake and scoping essentials.

Virtualization3:42
What is virtualization? We discuss what virtualization is and why you would want to use it.
Installing Virtualbox (Windows host)5:27
CSILinux install11:26
Install CSI Linux, a Linux distro based off of Buntu for open source intelligence, and set up a virtualization workflow with VirtualBox and snapshots for a clean investigation environment.
Linux Terminal basics3:46
In this video we will be going over some basic Linux terminal commands. While knowing terminal commands is not necessary for OSINT per se, it is useful o have a basic understanding of them.

Why a sock puppet account and what is it?4:54
Learn how to create and use sock puppets, burner accounts with fake identities, to protect investigators in OSINT and pen testing while avoiding links to real information.
More sock puppets Gmail2:48
Learn how to create Gmail sock puppet accounts without a real phone number by using burner smartphones, with typical limits around three accounts per day.
Sudo5:52
There may be times where we need to conceal our real identity or just need a burner telephone number, text message, and/or email. Sudo to the rescue! This is currently a iOS only app.
Temp mail3:13
Using a temporary email solution instead of your burner email.
Using Text Free for texting updated4:31
Compare free text apps such as text free and Textnow, and learn how to create sockpuppet texting accounts using disposable numbers or pseudo services to protect your real number.
CSI Linux Sock Puppets2:48
Explore CSI Linux's built-in sock puppet builder for open-source intelligence. Generate a complete sock puppet dossier with demographic details, contact info, map coordinates, hashes, and a ready-to-use profile template.

Handling data4:48
In this video we talk about handling data and some tips on how not to become overwhelmed.
Additional content: How to use Cherrytree templates11:11
Open Cherry Tree templates for OSINT reports. Learn to embed images, create nodes, and export to PDF or HTML while preserving file hashes such as MD5 and SHA256.
Cherry tree templates0:18
These are a couple templates for a OSINT report. There is a technical report and a executive report template. Feel free to modify them to fit your needs.
Obsidian6:11
Explore Obsidian, a cross-platform notation and note-taking tool, with canvas workflows, linking notes, graphs, and attachments, plus pricing, sync, and basic use cases across Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android.
Keeping your data safe9:47
In this video we look at some options to keep your data and yourself secure.

Google Advanced Operators5:52
In this video we will be looking at some advanced search techniques using Google.
Google Maps4:23
In this video we will be looking at Google maps and how it can be used in OSINT
Google Images5:23
In this video we talk about doing a reverse image search with Google.
Exact match Google Images1:36
Learn to perform a reverse image search with Google Images by uploading a file or URL, using exact image match to identify sources and dates, and speed up OSINT investigations.
Google alerts2:06
Google and Twitter alerts
Other reverse image searches5:53
In this video we explore other reverse image options
Geolocation3:46
Learn to extract geolocation from photo metadata, including latitude and longitude, using tools like geo imager. Double-check with reverse image search and Google Maps street view to verify.
Greynoise2:54
Explore Greynoise to analyze IP addresses, tags, and malicious activity, viewing trends, alerts, and suggested actions to assess and respond to potential threats.

Reverse email9:55
In this video we will be looking at some techniques to perform reverse email searches on our target.
Currently Behindemail is no longer in service.
Phone OSINT5:56
Explore how phone numbers unlock osint insights—from area and country codes to voicemail clues, reverse lookups, and voip or burner number nuances.
Additional content: Reverse phone US and Europe3:14
Explore reverse phone lookup tools for the US and Europe, including search yellow directory.com/reverse-phone, comfy.com/book/reverse, and phi.com/a/book/reverse, with tips on country codes and cross-tool results.
Reverse Phone5:15
In this video we will be looking at reverse number lookups.
Deepfake detection5:38
attestiv5:58
Minerva2:40
Explore Minerva, a web-based email tool for OSINT, sign up for a free account, run a search to view breach histories and linked accounts, and export results as JSON.

Black Book Online4:54
Explore Black Book Online, a free public record lookup hub for jail inmate searches, death records, maps and satellite imagery, court and corporation lookups, and more, with privacy considerations noted.
USA Public Data Search2:56
Cibib is now xlek, thank you Everand for the heads up.
Dehashed and data leaks7:38
In this video we take a look at the breach site Dehashed.
';--have i been pwned?4:31
In this video we learn about have i been pwned and how it can help in OSINT
webmii3:22
Explore WebMe, a browser-based OSINT tool that lets you search for people, view visibility scores, and access biographies, social profiles, and news to audit online presence and privacy.
Resume finders2:29
In this video we look at some resume finders and how they can be applied to OSINT
Family trees4:12
In this video we talk a look at how family trees can be applied to OSINT and some sites.
Property ownership2:51
Hospitals3:59
Discover how to verify whether someone is admitted to a hospital and what unit they are in, while adhering to HIPAA and GDPR and avoiding impersonation.
Instant Checkmate5:52
Explore how Instant Checkmate, a people search engine, helps generate leads and verify information, with timelines, reports, emails, phones, and licenses, while noting data may be old or missing.
Unmask Google Users3:46
Unmask Google users by sharing a blank Google doc and inspecting who has access to reveal the name tied to a Gmail account, an osint technique.

Spiderfoot5:48
In this section we will be looking at Spiderfoot, a program designed to crawl websites and harvest information.
wget and HTTrack6:35
Clone websites with wget and HTTrack for offline research on CSI Linux, enabling investigators to inspect mirrored site structure and preserve offline copies.
Updated: Metagoofil4:32
Learn metagoofil, a command-line tool that searches websites for documents by domain and file type, such as pdf and xlsx, with usage options and download limits demonstrated.
Webpage Cache5:13
The internet never forgets... In this video we will be looking at some options to retrieve lost pages from the internet.
Saving to the Internet Archive3:08
learn how to use the internet archive to manually save web pages and media, initiate archiving with the wayback machine, and understand indexing delays.
Archive ph2:55
Meta Narka2:27
Discover meta r, a beta OSINT tool that analyzes a full URL, fetching pages, detecting language, and inspecting HTTP headers, robots.txt, sitemaps, and SSL data.
DotDB3:42
Dot db is a global domain search tool that scans registered domains across languages. It enables keyword searches, shows active, parked, or inactive domains, and compares free versus paid tiers.
OSINT Rack4:02

Requirements

A computer (prefered), smartphone, or tablet with a internet connection. 8 gb memory and 40 gb of hdd to follow along with the VM

Description

In this course you will be learning about OSINT (Open-source intelligence) from a hacker's point of view. Tools, techniques, setting up a virtual lab, and how to protect yourself. This is a comprehensive course that will be using free open source tools to investigate people and companies. No matter if you are totally new to the fascinating world of OSINT and hacking or have some experience, this course will walk you through how both hackers and investigators use these tools and why.

This course is designed to be beginner friendly and also help educate experienced individuals alike with a easy to follow and practical approach. Your safety is also important as we explore the use of sock puppets, a Linux virtual machine and more.

Worried about out of date content? I have gone through updating the content as things change, become obsolete, I find new cool tools, or techniques. These updates are free along with the bonus content.

Get stuck or have a question? Always feel free to send me a message and I will do my best to help you out!

FYI, a reminder: I not anyone that is a part of DGS has any affiliation with any of the vendors, software manufactures, or programmers in this course.

Who this course is for:

Anyone that wants to learn OSINT, hackers, security professionals, investigators, people interested in security.

OSINT: Open-Source Intelligence

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction11 lectures • 50min

Reporting3 lectures • 37min

Getting started4 lectures • 24min

About sock puppets6 lectures • 24min

Data collection5 lectures • 32min

Advance searching8 lectures • 32min

Reverse searches7 lectures • 39min

Employee and employer searches1 lecture • 4min

People searches11 lectures • 47min

Website OSINT9 lectures • 38min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: