title: Introduction description: Purpose and scope of the OSINT Atlas documentation.

Introduction

OSINT Atlas Docs gathers concepts, categories, tools, and sample workflows about open-source intelligence (OSINT) in one place.
It is not a training course; it is a quick reference and concept explainer.

Use this documentation when:

• You need a quick definition of a term
• You wonder what Username OSINT covers and its limits
• You want to decide what a tool does and when to use it
• You need a reference while designing your own OSINT workflow

OSINT Atlas focuses only on public and legal sources.
Unauthorized access, intrusion, or account takeover is outside of scope.

Audience

Designed for:

• Newcomers to OSINT
• Readers who know basics but want categories organized
• Security/IT folks strengthening OSINT skills
• Researchers, journalists, enthusiasts

Expectation: respect ethics and legal boundaries.

What you will find

• Concept pages → basics like “What is OSINT?”, “Intelligence types”
• Category pages → Username, email, domain/IP, social, images/video, geo, archives
• Tool pages → What each tool does, when to use it, limitations
• Workflow pages → Example OSINT flows (“first this, then that”)
• Wiki / notes → Glossary, patterns, thinking models

Next page explains the site structure:
How this site is organized

title: How this site is organized description: Main sections of OSINT Atlas docs and how to find what you need.

How this site is organized

OSINT Atlas Docs has several main sections. The left sidebar lists them.

Concepts

Concepts explain core OSINT terminology.

You will find:

• What is OSINT?
• Intelligence types
• OSINT vs. pentest vs. hacking

These are the “theory” pages—skim them first so the rest makes sense.

Categories

Categories describe common data types in OSINT:

• Username
• Email
• Domain / IP
• Social Networks
• Images / Videos
• Geolocation
• Archives

Each category answers:

• What is this data type for?
• What questions can it answer?
• What are its limits?
• Example usage scenarios?
• Which tools pair with it?

Tools

Tools are per-tool explanations.

• Tool index
• Example tool pages (e.g., Sherlock, ExifTool, Shodan…)

Each tool page covers:

• What it does
• Which categories it relates to
• Strengths and weaknesses
• When to use it

Focus is on concept/usage, not install steps.

Workflows

Workflows are “first this, then that” example flows.

• Basic investigation
• Social media workflow
• Image + geo workflow

They show the thinking order rather than copying a real-world case.

Reference

Reference contains supporting topics:

• Legal & ethics
• OPSEC basics
• Data sources

Focuses on “is it doable?” and “should it be done?”

Wiki / Notes

Wiki / Notes are free-form, Obsidian-style pages:

• Glossary (A–Z)
• Patterns & techniques

Terms, recurring patterns, and quick notes live here.

Next step

Now that you know the structure, continue with basics:

• What is OSINT?

title: What is OSINT? description: Basic definition and scope of open-source intelligence (OSINT).

What is OSINT?

OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) is the practice of collecting, analyzing, and making sense of information from publicly accessible sources.
Here “open source” means information anyone can access, not open-source code.

Examples:

• Public social media profiles
• News sites, blogs, forums
• Official reports and statistics
• Open archives and historical pages
• Satellite imagery and maps

OSINT is not about intruding or stealing secrets; it’s about making sense of data already in the open.

Key characteristics

• Public data only
  OSINT works with data anyone can reach. Password cracking or intrusion is not OSINT.

• Analysis-driven
  Value comes from asking the right questions and connecting dots, not hoarding the most data.

• Contextual thinking
  Single pieces may be meaningless; context makes the picture powerful.

What OSINT is NOT

To avoid confusion, OSINT is not:

• Account hacking
• Breaching closed databases
• Unauthorized system scans to gather internal data
• Social engineering for secret information

These are different disciplines and often illegal.

When OSINT helps

Example scenarios:

• Verifying if an account matches a real person
• Estimating where and roughly when a photo was taken
• Mapping a company’s domain/infrastructure using open sources
• Checking claims by validating sources and visuals

OSINT is not magic; with the right questions it’s a powerful magnifier.

Related pages

• Intelligence types
• OSINT vs. pentest vs. hacking
• Legal & ethics

title: Intelligence types description: Intelligence types including OSINT and their key differences.

Intelligence types

OSINT is one of several intelligence disciplines. Common abbreviations:

• HUMINT – Human Intelligence
• SIGINT – Signals Intelligence
• IMINT / GEOINT – Imagery / Geospatial Intelligence
• TECHINT – Technical Intelligence
• OSINT – Open Source Intelligence

They complement rather than replace each other.

HUMINT

People-centric collection (interviews, field observation). OSINT is mostly desk-based; HUMINT is in the field.

Relation to OSINT:

• OSINT can prepare HUMINT (pre-briefing)
• HUMINT findings can be verified/supported via OSINT

SIGINT

Covers communications/signal data (telephony, radio, network traffic). Usually closed and permissioned.

Difference vs OSINT:

• SIGINT → closed, often secret, requires authorization
• OSINT → open and publicly accessible

IMINT / GEOINT

Imagery and geospatial analysis (satellite, aerial, maps). Common in defense; open imagery also exists.

Intersection with OSINT:

• Using open satellite/map data is Geo-OSINT
• Private/closed imagery is outside OSINT

OSINT

This documentation’s focus.

• Source: open, publicly accessible data
• Method: search, collect, verify, contextualize
• Role: support other intel types, early analysis, validation

Why the distinction matters

These distinctions:

• Clarify which data is legally accessible
• Define whether a task is truly “OSINT”
• Show which discipline applies in a situation

This documentation focuses only on OSINT and supporting open-data concepts.

Related pages

• What is OSINT?
• OSINT vs. pentest vs. hacking

title: OSINT vs. pentest vs. hacking description: Clarifies the differences between OSINT, pentest, and hacking.

OSINT vs. pentest vs. hacking

Terms often get mixed up. Someone saying “I’m doing OSINT” might actually be doing pentest or attacking.

This page separates three key concepts:

• OSINT
• Pentest (penetration testing)
• Hacking / attack activities

OSINT

• Goal: Collect and analyze open-source data
• Access: Public, visible to everyone
• Example: Public profiles, news, official reports, open archives, open satellite imagery

OSINT does not push access boundaries; it interprets existing open data.

Pentest (penetration testing)

• Goal: Find system vulnerabilities in a controlled manner
• Access: With prior written permission and defined scope
• Example: Authorized scanning, exploit simulation, security testing

Pentest is a professional service governed by ethics and contracts.

Overlap with OSINT:

• Uses OSINT during reconnaissance
• Goes deeper afterward with active testing

Hacking / attack activities

• Goal: Unauthorized access, data theft, disruption
• Access: Against systems without permission
• Example: Account takeover, database breach, malware distribution

Often illegal and outside this documentation’s scope.

Why the distinction matters

• Knowing boundaries is critical ethically and legally
• Understand the context when using a tool
• “I’m only collecting info” is not always a safe defense; data nature matters

In this documentation:

OSINT = public, legal data + analysis
Pentest and attack details are out of scope.

Related pages

• Legal & ethics
• OPSEC basics

Categories

OSINT Categories