What OSINT is: sources and advantages

OSINT, acronym for Open Source INTelligence, is the discipline, closely related to investigative activity, aimed at the research and acquisition of information through the “open sources”. Open sources are those public sources, freely accessible to everyone. The first of these, in terms of importance, is obviously the Internet, but many others are equally useful, such as newspapers, magazines, television, radio, public registers, corporate documents and the most popular social networks. 

We also discussed the theme of how Social Networks reveal our psychological personality, along with other interesting data that can give us the most complete possible image of the entity or subject analyzed. OSINT is a discipline also adopted by military intelligence agencies for important military tactical assessments or simple operational and strategic military statistical considerations.

OSINT analysis is also a valuable tool in investigative work, as it allows the private investigator to find a lot of information useful for the investigation.

Osint applications for investigations

To understand the importance of this investigative tool is enough to think about the number of information, photos, videos that we publish daily on social networks.

We have at our disposal a very large number of information which, after being correctly acquired, must be selected and analysed. These two phases are the most delicate and this is where the figure of the intelligence analyst plays a fundamental role.

To this end Dogma S.p.A. has set up a division dedicated to intelligence, which already for years offers a very important support to all the conducted investigations. It is in fact thanks to its team of professional experts that makes use of the best technologies and specific advanced software and tools that Dogma collects useful information and provides evidence that can also be used in the process with valid forensic etching systems. The Osint analyses can be useful to obtain a detailed analysis of the background and reputation of a company, in order to determine the opportunity of a merger, acquisition or future business relationship. They may also be used to verify the profile of an employee or competitor in the event of unfair competition, and to ascertain any relationships and connections between two or more persons involved in the investigation.

Software and tools Osint used

For this type of investigation Dogma uses technical tools, professional skills and advanced software that, through the analysis of public sources, allow to obtain useful information to inquiries requested. Below we describe the functionality of the most used tools:

• Software aimed to collecting information on the basis of link analysis and data mining, or the extrapolation of useful information from large amounts of data. These allow you to generate a detailed map of existing relationships between domains, ip, individuals, companies, social-network profiles, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses.
   
• Search engines that analyze the public information of persons, that allow to identify a subject through the insertion of a name, a username, an email address or a phone number. They are also very useful as they allow filtering results according to a number of parameters such as the country or age. Thanks to these tools, refined in years of research by the Intelligence Division of Dogma S.p.A., it’s in fact possible the identification, also photographic, of a subject, as well as the identification of the residence, telephone numbers, emails and links of interest connected to it. 
• Search engines on legal persons (enterprises) and individuals in more than 150 countries around the world, which allow to process and analyse information and, therefore, to compare different companies. We provide a clear and precise picture of the companies of interest, thus representing an important support in the choice of business strategies. 
• Systems providing precise analysis of the web domains under investigation, derive basic information such as the data of the owner, the date of creation and expiration and the email connected to them for the reception of communications. 

The expertise acquired by Dogma S.p.A. in intelligence is a strategic service in support of decision-makers in businesses, legal disputes and all those areas where it is necessary to know before deciding. 

For a quote and a private and free advice, call the toll-free number 800 750 751, or use the form on the page to send us a request.  You can also activate an Online Investigation, find out how.