Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is a term used in the fields of cybercrime and cybersecurity as well as big data and smart data. It refers to the collection and analysis of publicly accessible information on the internet.
This is not secret or protected data, but information that is freely available on the internet, for example on websites, in social media, forums or in online databases. Companies, authorities and even private individuals use open source intelligence to recognise risks at an early stage, protect themselves against threats or find out more about their target group.
A simple example: a company wants to check whether confidential company data has accidentally been leaked onto the internet. It uses OSINT tools to search public sites and social media for mentions or leaks. Or in the area of big data: market researchers use OSINT to analyse public opinions and trends in order to better tailor products to customer needs.
Open source intelligence is legal as long as no protected data is spied on. It is a valuable tool for filtering out the important information from the flood of freely accessible data and utilising it in a targeted manner.
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