10 OSINT Tools Incorporated in Our SOC for Enhanced Security
Understanding the Role of OSINT in Cybersecurity
OSINT stands for Open-Source Intelligence. It refers to the practice of gathering information and intelligence from publicly available sources. Unlike classified or restricted data, OSINT relies on information that can be legally accessed and obtained without specific permissions or constraints. These sources include data from the internet, public records, social media, news articles, and other openly accessible platforms.
In cybersecurity, OSINT is valuable for understanding potential security threats, identifying vulnerabilities, and assessing an organization’s digital footprint to enhance overall security measures.
Top 10 OSINT Tools for SOC Implementation
Present a curated list of the top OSINT tools utilized within our SOC. Briefly outline the capabilities of each tool and how they contribute to our comprehensive security strategy, encompassing a mix of free and paid options.
1. Mitaka
Available as a Chrome extension and Firefox add-on, Mitaka lets you search over six dozen search engines for IP addresses, domains, URLs, hashes, ASNs, Bitcoin wallet addresses, and various indicators of compromise (IOCs) from your web browser.
The extension streamlines your work by serving as a quick access point to multiple online databases, allowing instant queries with a simple click.
2. Spiderfoot
Spiderfoot, a free OSINT reconnaissance tool, connects to various data sources to collect and analyze diverse information like IP addresses, domains, ASNs, email addresses, and more. Accessible on GitHub, Spiderfoot offers both a command-line interface and a built-in web server, facilitating an intuitive web-based GUI.
With over 200 modules, the tool is perfect for red teaming activities, enabling deeper exploration of targets or uncovering potential unintentional exposures your organization might have on the internet.
3. Spyse
Spyse positions itself as the ultimate internet asset registry tailored for cybersecurity experts. Trusted by initiatives such as OWASP, IntelligenceX, and the aforementioned Spiderfoot, Spyse systematically gathers public data concerning websites, their proprietors, connected servers, and IoT devices. Subsequently, the Spyse engine analyzes this data to identify security vulnerabilities and associations among these entities.
While a free plan exists, developers aiming to construct applications utilizing the Spyse API may need to consider paid subscriptions for expanded features and functionalities.
4. BuiltWith
BuiltWith is a tool that uncovers the technology infrastructure behind widely used websites. It detects the content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal, and provides insights into various libraries, plugins, server details, and analytics tools utilized by these sites.
This information aids in reconnaissance efforts and, when combined with security scanners like WPScan, helps identify potential vulnerabilities. For a more concentrated analysis of a site’s tech stack, Wappalyzer offers a focused alternative worth considering.
5. Intelligence X
Intelligence X stands as a pioneering archival service and search engine, unique in its preservation not only of historical web page versions but also entire leaked datasets removed from the web, often due to objectionable content or legal concerns. While reminiscent of the Wayback Machine by Internet Archive, Intelligence X diverges significantly in its focus on preserving diverse and contentious content without discrimination.
This service has notably safeguarded sensitive data sets, including over 49,000 vulnerable Fortinet VPNs impacted by a Path Traversal flaw, even after plaintext passwords for these VPNs were removed from hacker forums but retained by Intelligence X.
Moreover, it has indexed information sourced from email servers of notable political figures like Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Recent additions to its repository encompass media related to the 2021 Capitol Hill riots and Facebook’s massive data leak of 533 million profiles. For intelligence gatherers, political analysts, journalists, and security researchers, this repository holds invaluable insights and data with multifaceted utility.
6. Grep.app
Sifting through around half a million Git repositories spread across the internet might seem challenging if you’re using separate search bars provided by platforms like GitHub, GitLab, or BitBucket. But Grep.app simplifies this task remarkably.
Twitter users and journalists have recently utilized Grep.app to estimate the number of repositories employing the Codecov Bash Uploader. Its powerful search features provide a more streamlined and effective way to explore and search through this vast repository network.
7. Shodan
Shodan, a specialized search engine, uncovers information about IoT devices, revealing open ports and vulnerabilities. It’s crucial in industries blending IT with OT infrastructure and is used as a data source by tools like theHarvester.
Accessing its full potential requires a paid account. Beyond IoT, it explores databases and unexpected domains like corporate networks hosting videogame servers, identifying potential vulnerabilities. Subscription options include a Freelancer license for $59, scanning 5,120 IPs monthly, and a $899 Corporate license for unlimited results, scanning 300,000 IPs, with added features like vulnerability searches and premium support.
8. Metagoofil
Metagoofil, readily accessible on GitHub, excels in extracting metadata from public documents, spanning various formats such as .pdf, .doc, .ppt, .xls, and more. This tool navigates public channels to investigate and collect information from a wide array of documents.
Its data-gathering prowess is remarkable. Metagoofil’s searches yield usernames linked to the uncovered documents and, when available, even real names. Additionally, it maps the pathways to these documents, unveiling details like server names, shared resources, and directory tree information, providing valuable insights into the host organization’s infrastructure.
9.Searchcode
Searchcode, a specialized search engine for source code, offers in-depth OSINT by uncovering insights within code repositories.
Despite needing code repositories to be added beforehand, it’s valuable for detecting vulnerabilities pre-deployment, ensuring sensitive information isn’t exposed. Its user-friendly interface simplifies searches, highlighting relevant terms within code lines, aiding in identifying security flaws and potential code injection risks.
10. Recon-ng
Recon-ng, a powerful tool written in Python, offers developers familiar with the Metasploit Framework a similar interface, reducing the learning curve. Its interactive help feature aids quick comprehension, unlike many Python modules, facilitating swift adoption.
This tool streamlines OSINT tasks, automating laborious activities like copying and pasting. While it doesn’t cover all OSINT gathering, Recon-ng excels at automating prevalent harvesting methods, freeing up time for essential manual tasks.
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