Best Open Source Intelligence Tools in Cybersecurity
With the increasing cyber threats in the digital landscape, cybersecurity has become a top priority for organizations and individuals alike. Utilizing the right tools can be the difference between a secure environment and a potential breach. In this regard, open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools have gained immense popularity due to their effectiveness and accessibility. Here are some of the best open-source intelligence tools used in cybersecurity:
- CheckUserNames
https://checkusernames.com/
This tool allows users to check the availability of a username across multiple platforms.
- HaveIbeenPwned
https://haveibeenpwned.com/
An essential service that checks if your email has been compromised in a data breach.
- BeenVerified
[Website not provided. This is a commercial tool that offers background checks.]
- OSINT Framework
https://osintframework.com/
A collection of various OSINT tools categorized by purpose.
- Censys
https://censys.io/
A search engine that allows researchers to query hosts and networks to uncover vulnerabilities.
- BuiltWith
https://builtwith.com/
A web technology lookup tool, BuiltWith provides information on what technologies websites are using.
- Google Dorks
Usage of advanced Google search queries to find vulnerabilities and sensitive data. There isn't a specific "official" website for Google Dorks, but you can use Google to perform the searches.
- Maltego
https://www.maltego.com/
Maltego is a data mining tool that renders interactive graphs for link analysis. It helps in gathering OSINT data for investigative tasks.
- Recon-Ng
https://github.com/lanmaster53/recon-ng
Recon-Ng is a reconnaissance framework with a range of modules to assist in information gathering tasks.
- theHarvester
https://github.com/laramies/theHarvester
theHarvester is a tool for gathering emails, subdomains, hosts, and more from different public sources.
- Shodan
https://www.shodan.io/
Often referred to as the "search engine for the Internet of Things," Shodan scans the entire internet and stores the banners it pulls from different services.
- Jigsaw
[Note: Jigsaw has undergone rebranding and may be referred to by a different name. It was previously known for providing company-related information.]
- Creepy
https://github.com/ilektrojohn/creepy
Creepy is a geolocation OSINT tool. It aggregates geolocation data from social media platforms and image hosting services and then displays it on a map.
- Nmap
https://nmap.org/
Nmap, short for Network Mapper, is a widely used tool for network discovery and vulnerability scanning.
- WebShag
WebShag is a multi-threaded, multi-platform web server audit tool. While there's no official site for WebShag, it can be found on various open-source repositories.
- OpenVAS
https://www.openvas.org/
OpenVAS, the Open Vulnerability Assessment Scanner, is a comprehensive vulnerability scanning and vulnerability management tool.
- Fierce
A DNS reconnaissance tool for locating non-contiguous IP space. The official repository is often found on GitHub and similar platforms.
- Unicornscan
Unicornscan is an advanced port scanning tool. It's designed to offer a flexible user interface with asynchronous operations. The official source can be found on various open-source repositories.
- Foca
https://www.elevenpaths.com/labstools/foca/index.html
FOCA (Fingerprinting Organizations with Collected Archives) is a tool used to find metadata and hidden information in documents. It helps in the automation of OSINT tasks related to the semantic web.
- ZoomEye
https://www.zoomeye.org/
ZoomEye is a search engine for cyberspace that lets researchers find specific network components (webcams, routers, servers, etc.) through various filters.
- Spyse
https://spyse.com/
Spyse is a cybersecurity search engine for obtaining technical data on a wide array of internet assets. It's a comprehensive tool for cyber reconnaissance.
- IVRE
https://ivre.rocks/
IVRE, which stands for "Instrument de veille sur les réseaux extérieurs" or "Network Reconnaissance Tool," is a framework to perform reconnaissance for network traffic. It uses data from passive and active sources.
- Metagoofil
Metagoofil is an information gathering tool designed for extracting metadata from public documents (pdf, doc, xls, ppt, etc.) available in target websites. While there's no centralized official site, it's available on various open-source platforms like GitHub.
- Exiftool
https://exiftool.org/
Exiftool is a platform-independent Perl library plus a command-line application for reading, writing, and editing meta information in a wide variety of files, especially useful for extracting metadata from photos and videos.
While these tools offer valuable insights, it's essential to use them responsibly and ethically. Always ensure you have the appropriate permissions before conducting any cybersecurity research or investigations.