Top OSINT Tools for Ethical Hacking
We are going across a considerable amount of open-source information daily. Security analysts use the information from various web pages, news, blogs, etc., about an individual, celebrities, multinational companies, organizations, or the government sector for analysis to collect the relevant data using OSINT tools.
Table of Contents
What is OSINT
Top OSINT Tools for Ethical Hacker
This blog is curated with the top OSINT tools required for ethical hacking available in the market. But, before going into the list, let’s see What is OSINT?
What is OSINT
Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) is a process of searching, collecting, and summarizing information from a public source to use as a source of intelligence. The information can be from an individual, a company, an organization, or any other relevant data source.
OSINT tools help collect the relevant information from the huge open-source data and reduce the time it takes to collect and analyze the data by the users.
Top OSINT Tools for Ethical Hacker
Ethical hackers and pen testers use OSINT tools to identify the potential vulnerabilities in the company’s security system. The following is the list of top OSINT tools for ethical hackers.
Check Usernames: If you want to get any information about usernames seamlessly, then Check Usernames is one of the best tools. It is used to search for a specific username on 150 websites, and it helps to check the presence of the target on the website.
Google Dorks: Second on the list is Google Dorks, an online OSINT Tool that can help users get relevant information more efficiently. It helps to identify the Email Address Related to a Username and can collect information through social media.
If the user wants the search results in a PDF file for a username, then type ‘Filetype: name of the information required in a pdf file in the google search bar. For instance, type “Jamie Oliver” filetype: pdf. in google search, you will get all the PDF files related to Jamie Oliver.
Maltego: Maltego is another OSINT tool for collecting and connecting information for graphical link analysis. It is used to map the relationship between two different kinds of information. Maltego helps mine the data from various sources, merges match information in one graph, and provides a visual map to explore the data effectively.
Maltego can connect data and functionalities from diverse sources using Transforms easily. It can connect over 30 data partners of public sources.
Metagoofil: Metagoofil is an information-gathering tool used for extracting metadata of public documents of the targeted company or organization that are readily available on websites. After extracting the data, the tool allows the user to generate a report containing software versions, servers or machine names, and usernames. It also helps to extract MAC addresses from Microsoft Office documents.
NexVision: NexVision is an advanced AI-powered OSINT tool that provides real-time intelligence from the Whole web (like on the Dark Web, Social Media, and Clear web). It uses artificial intelligence techniques to extract the most accurate intelligence to discard false positives. NexVision is the most comprehensive tool for many corporate companies, researchers, and governments.
Recon- Ng: Recon-ng is another free and open-source OSINT tool used for reconnaissance of the target. It is an in-built Kali Linux tool with many modules, functions, command completion, database interactions, and interactive help features termed as a complete package tool for information gathering.
Recon- Ng is used to identify IP addresses and can find sensitive files such as robots.txt. It also helps collect data about DNS lookup, sub-domain information, Geo-IP lookup, Banner grabbing, and reverse IP using WHOIS lookup.
Search Code: If you want to search for code on google, you will get stumped with a massive amount of data. Search code is another OSINT tool with a unique feature that allows it to search for a line for a code and provide results from websites such as GitHub.
Search code can identify the sensitive information that is covered inside the code. It assists in the search for functions, methods, security flaws, and anything associated with the code.
Shodan: Next on the list is Shodan, a search engine for internet-connected devices that provides relevant search results associated with security professionals. This tool can access the data on internet-connected devices such as systems, webcams, laptops, and other IoT devices.
Shodan OSINT tool helps security analysts to identify the target and perform the test for vulnerabilities, passwords, ports, services, etc.
Spider Foot: Spider Foot is next on the list; the OSINT tool automates collecting information from over 100 public data sources on personal, network, and business entities. It receives and collects information like IP addresses, emails, integrated technologies, networks, DNS records, security tools, etc.
Spider Foot also delivers clear insights on potential hacking alerts, such as vulnerabilities, data leakage, and other relevant information. These insights help improve threat intelligence to detect the attacks before they happen.
The Harvester: Last on the list is The Harvester, an excellent OSINT tool used to determine the company’s external threat landscape on the internet. This tool is a subpart of the Kali Linux operating system that provides harvesting intelligence applied in the initial penetration testing stage.
The Harvester uses search engines like Google, PGP key servers, Bing, etc., to fetch search results. It extracts information from the specified targets and has various features.
Final Words
In this article, we have covered the well-known OSINT tools. As new technology emerges, the new OSINT tools and techniques will also enhance to meet users’ requirements. However, the above-listed OSINT tools are open to using and analyzing and forecasting the information.
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