In cybersecurity, OSINT, or Open Source Intelligence, has long been a key part of staying ahead of potential threats. Let’s dive into what it is, how it’s used, as well as its limitations and modern solutions.

What is OSINT? 

Derived from the acronym 'Open Source Intelligence,' OSINT is a methodology used to gather intelligence from publicly available sources. These can include anything from news articles, public databases, and social media posts to government reports, academic papers, and published research.

In essence, OSINT revolves around leveraging the vast expanse of online data that doesn’t require authentication or specialized access privileges. Defenders aim to extract valuable insights to make informed decisions and stay ahead of threats.

The varied landscape of OSINT

OSINT has its roots in the U.S. intelligence community, meaning it can serve diverse purposes across different domains, tailored to specific objectives and industries. In non-cybersecurity contexts, intelligence agencies might use OSINT to monitor global events, track geopolitical developments, or even survey urban environments using tools like Google Street View.

When OSINT made its way to cybersecurity, it took on a more targeted role, focusing on gathering information related to threats, vulnerabilities, and security issues.

There are three major categories of information defenders find valuable:

1. Vulnerabilities: Vulnerabilities are potential weaknesses in software systems. They are often discovered by security researchers, identified in the wild, or exposed through a breach.
   
   Defenders find this information valuable for developing mitigation strategies and defending against these weaknesses.

2. Malware: OOnce threat groups gain access to companies, they deploy malware and intrusion techniques such as Trojans, viruses, spyware, and ransomware to maintain access.
   
   Defenders find this information valuable for understanding what tools are used, how they steal data, and how to protect against them.

3. Threat Actors: TThis intelligence focuses on tracking the activity of threat actors, specifically identifying who is conducting attacks and their motives.
   
   Defenders find this information valuable to assess whether they are susceptible to threat actors who may target victims based on industry, geography, or technology.

The value of OSINT in cybersecurity

The value of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) in theory is that it offers companies the opportunity to get ahead of their threats.

OSINT enables organizations to stay informed about emerging threats. By analyzing correlations in OSINT data, organizations can anticipate threats and adapt their cybersecurity strategies accordingly. Ultimately, OSINT provides defenders with the insights needed to make informed decisions.

Challenged and limitations

Despite its utility, harnessing OSINT effectively poses several major challenges. OSINT lacks a centralized repository or data aggregator, and each source that provides OSINT follows its own format. Furthermore, leveraging OSINT requires active engagement with online communities and continuous exploration of new sources to stay on top of emerging threats. For companies with limited resources and manpower, effectively utilizing OSINT is nearly impossible.

Additionally, the sheer volume and diversity of online content, combined with the fast-evolving threat landscape, can overwhelm even the most seasoned analysts and well-equipped teams. Parsing through thousands of websites, blogs, and forums to extract relevant intelligence requires massive amounts of time and resources. Even paid threat intelligence solutions often require manual labor to find useful data and correlate threats to the company. Moreover, these solutions are often extremely expensive.

Fletch: Simplifying OSINT for Cybersecurity Defenders

Enter Fletch, a pioneering platform designed to make OSINT digestible, actionable, and timely, especially for cybersecurity professionals with limited resources and time.

Fletch uses natural language processing and machine learning to scan the threat landscape daily, replacing the need for manual labor and exponentially speeding up the process. Fletch then organizes the information into detailed, structured records that include a summary, a list of IOCs and targets, history, mitigation advice, and generated communications. With Fletch in place, the limitations of using OSINT are eliminated, leaving only the value of staying ahead of threats.

Sign up for the Fletch waitlist to utilize the world’s first OSINT based cybersecurity AI.