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Introduction to Open-source Intelligence (OSINT)

Module description

The boom of social media and an ever-increasing digital society has greatly increased the amount of publicly available information. Open-source Intelligence (OSINT) is the practice of collecting such data, and is a set of techniques that law enforcement agencies, security practitioners, insurance companies, and a host of other organisations are increasingly utilising in their investigative work; whether it be analysing illicit drug trading networks from posts on Instagram or tracking members of al-Qaeda from their Strava account. This module will introduce you to these techniques and how they are being used by practitioners as part of their investigative workflow.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to introduce you to the techniques used in Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) investigations, and in doing so, has two broad aims. The first is to develop your understanding of the theoretical aspects of OSINT, such as where it fits in relation to contemporary law enforcement investigative practice, the various ethical and legal considerations that must be considered when using these methods, as well as their role in academic research in areas such as online communities and extremism. The second involves introducing you to some of the basic techniques and skills used by a range of organisations when conducting OSINT investigations. These skills will be taught to you via practical sessions, and will cover such things as researching the origins of an image, geolocating specific events, and analysing data gained from these techniques. In learning these skills, you will realise that, so long as you are systematic in your approach, it is actually relatively easy to use these methods to conduct OSINT investigations using freely accessible tools that you might already be familiar with, such as Google reverse image search.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. To demonstrate good knowledge of Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) techniques and their role within contemporary law enforcement
• 2. Develop an understanding of OSINT investigative tools and how to assess the data gained from them
• 3. Develop a good level of computer literacy as it pertains to contemporary academic research and OSINT work

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. Develop an understanding of the role and impact of OSINT within the wider context of the changes to investigative practice in law enforcement and research as a result of an increasingly digital society
• 5. Develop and understanding of the evolutionary arms race between new methods for committing crime and crime detection and investigation methods
• 6. Develop an understanding of the ethical considerations of using OSINT methods in law enforcement and research

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Demonstrate ability to work as part of a group on a joint project
• 8. Demonstrate written analytical skills by producing an essay and technical report to a deadline
• 9. Demonstrate the ability to present group-based work in a professional manner

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year-to-year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following themes:

• Introduction: What is Open-source intelligence? What is its role in contemporary law enforcement investigations? Preparing your computer for OSINT work.
• OSINT methodology and workflow, documentation, and ethics
• Search engines and online communities
• Social media part 1
• Social media part 2
• Email, usernames, telephone numbers, and search engines
• Online maps, geolocation, and documents
• Images and videos
• Domain names and IP addresses
• Government and business records and virtual currencies
• Data breaches and leaks
• Wrap-up revision, and the future of OSINT

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Akhgar, B., Bayerl, P., & Sampons, F. (2017) Open Source Intelligence Investigation: From Strategy to Implementation (first edition) Spinger: Cham

Bazzell, M. (2019) Open Source Intelligence Techniques: Resources for Searching and Analyzing Online Information (7^th edition) Independently published

Bellingcat podcast: https://www.bellingcat.com/category/resources/podcasts/

Golenburg, A. & Finkelstein, J. (2020) Cyber Swarming, Memetic Warfare And Viral Insurgency: How Domestic Militants Organize on Memes to Incite Violent Insurrection and Terror Against Government and Law Enforcement available online: http://ncri.io/wp-content/uploads/NCRI-White-Paper-Memetic-Warfare.pdf

Human Rights Center (2020) Berkeley Protocol on Digital Open Source Investigations available online: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/OHCHR_BerkeleyProtocol.pdf

NATO (2001) NATO Open Source Handbook available online: http://www.oss.net/dynamaster/file_archive/030201/ca5fb66734f540fbb4f8f6ef759b258c/NATO%20OSINT%20Handbook%20v1.2%20-%20Jan%202002.pdf

OSINTCurio.us website: https://osintcurio.us/

Silverman, C. (2020) Verification Handbook: For Disinformation and Media Manipulation (First edition) available online: https://s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/datajournalismcom/handbooks/Verification-Handbook-3.pdf

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (2011) Criminal Intelligence

Manual for Analysts available online: https://www.unodc.org/documents/organized-crime/Law-Enforcement/Criminal_Intelligence_for_Analysts.pdf

Key words search

OSINT, Open Source, Internet, Digital, Cyber, Intelligence