Open Source intelligence Course

Lesson 1 • OSINT Use Cases Across Professions

Surveys how journalists, security analysts, law enforcement, and corporate investigators apply OSINT. Motivates skill development by connecting techniques to real professional outcomes.

Lesson 2 • Defining OSINT and Its Scope

Covers the definition, boundaries, and categories of open source data. Anchors the chapter by distinguishing OSINT from classified and proprietary intelligence.

Lesson 3 • The Intelligence Cycle for OSINT

Applies the classic intelligence cycle—planning, collection, processing, analysis, dissemination—to open source contexts. Provides the workflow students use throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Search Engine Architecture and Indexing

Explains how crawlers, indexes, and ranking algorithms determine what is findable. Understanding indexing gaps helps students know when to switch tools.

Lesson 2 • Boolean and Advanced Operator Techniques

Teaches Boolean logic and platform-specific operators to narrow or expand result sets precisely. Operators are the core skill applied in every subsequent search-based technique.

Lesson 3 • Multi-Engine and Vertical Search Strategies

Covers specialized engines for academic papers, patents, images, and code repositories. Students build a multi-engine workflow that maximizes coverage for any target.

Lesson 4 • Automating and Documenting Searches

Introduces search automation scripts and structured documentation practices. Reproducible searches are essential for evidentiary integrity and team collaboration.

Lesson 1 • Operational Security During Social Collection

Establishes OPSEC practices specific to social media investigations to prevent subject alerting. Students configure collection environments that protect investigator identity.

Lesson 2 • Social Platform Landscape and Data Types

Maps the major social platforms and the distinct data types each exposes. Knowing platform-specific data structures guides tool and technique selection.

Lesson 3 • Content Analysis and Temporal Mapping

Covers techniques for analyzing post content, timestamps, and behavioral patterns over time. Temporal mapping reveals routines, relationships, and inconsistencies.

Lesson 4 • Profile and Account Investigation

Teaches methods for locating, linking, and analyzing accounts across platforms. Students build a complete subject profile from fragmented social data.

Lesson 1 • Change Detection and Infrastructure Analysis

Uses time-series imagery to detect construction, movement, and environmental changes. Builds on mapping skills to support infrastructure and activity monitoring.

Lesson 2 • Chronolocation and Event Timing

Covers methods for estimating when an image or video was captured using environmental and contextual cues. Chronolocation supports timeline reconstruction introduced in Chapter 3.

Lesson 3 • Geospatial Data Sources and Platforms

Surveys open satellite imagery, street-level photography, and mapping APIs available without cost. Knowing source characteristics determines which platform fits each task.

Lesson 4 • Mapping and Spatial Analysis

Introduces GIS concepts and open mapping tools for plotting, layering, and analyzing geographic data. Spatial analysis transforms point data into investigative patterns.

Lesson 1 • Building a Comprehensive Subject Profile

Integrates data from all section sources into a structured, evidence-linked subject profile. Profiling methodology is the capstone skill of this chapter and feeds directly into analysis.

Lesson 2 • Corporate Structure and Beneficial Ownership

Teaches methods for tracing corporate hierarchies, subsidiaries, and ultimate beneficial owners. Understanding ownership structures is essential for due diligence and fraud investigations.

Lesson 3 • Public Records and Government Data

Identifies categories of government-held public records and how to access them efficiently. Public records form the evidentiary backbone of people and organization investigations.

Lesson 4 • Data Aggregators and People-Search Tools

Evaluates commercial and free people-search databases for accuracy, coverage, and ethical use. Students apply critical source evaluation skills from Chapter 1 to aggregated data.

Lesson 1 • DNS and Domain Intelligence

Covers DNS record types, WHOIS data, and historical registration analysis for domain attribution. DNS intelligence is the entry point for all technical infrastructure investigation.

Lesson 2 • Shodan and Internet-Wide Scan Data

Introduces internet-wide scanning databases to identify exposed services and devices passively. Students apply dorking skills from Chapter 2 to specialized technical search engines.

Lesson 3 • Email and Username Technical Footprinting

Covers email header analysis, breach data context, and username-to-infrastructure correlation. Bridges technical and people-research skills from Chapter 5.

Lesson 4 • Certificate and SSL Intelligence

Uses TLS certificate transparency logs to discover subdomains and organizational relationships. Certificate data often reveals infrastructure invisible to standard search engines.

Lesson 1 • Structured Analytic Techniques for OSINT

Introduces ACH, key assumptions check, and competing hypotheses methods for OSINT analysis. Structured techniques reduce cognitive bias in high-stakes investigative conclusions.

Lesson 2 • Disinformation Detection and Influence Operations

Covers indicators of coordinated inauthentic behavior, narrative manipulation, and synthetic media. Students identify disinformation campaigns using social and technical OSINT skills.

Lesson 3 • Image and Video Verification

Applies reverse image search, metadata analysis, and geolocation to verify visual media. Builds directly on geospatial skills from Chapter 4 in a verification context.

Lesson 4 • Confidence Levels and Analytical Uncertainty

Teaches standardized language for expressing analytical confidence and uncertainty in OSINT products. Calibrated uncertainty prevents overstatement and supports decision-maker trust.

Lesson 1 • Data Visualization for OSINT Products

Covers timeline charts, link diagrams, and geographic maps as communication tools in reports. Visualization translates complex relational data into immediately actionable intelligence.

Lesson 2 • Designing an OSINT Investigation Plan

Covers requirements elicitation, scope definition, and resource planning before collection begins. A structured plan prevents scope creep and ensures collection aligns with analytical goals.

Lesson 3 • Structuring OSINT Reports

Teaches report formats—executive summary, findings, appendices—tailored to different audiences. Report structure directly determines whether analytical conclusions drive action.

Lesson 4 • Evidence Collection and Chain of Custody

Establishes standards for capturing, hashing, and storing digital evidence to preserve integrity. Chain of custody practices make OSINT findings defensible in formal proceedings.