Creative Commons Copyright © Ben Benavides—no commercial exploitation without contract September 2012 I tried classified research; I was limited. I tried unclassified research; I was without limits. Then a friend told me a secret; mine was not. E. Ben Benavides Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) 2oolKit On The Go Open Source Intelligence is the non-cloak-and-dagger aspect of fact collecting. Alan D. Tompkins Creative Commons Copyright © Ben Benavides—no commercial exploitation without contract Table of Contents Comments Cultural Intelligence Open Source Intelligence (OSINT): What It Cyber & Information Warfare Is and What It Isn’t Databases (Some Searchable) How To Use Open Source Intelligence Datamining Tools Intelligence Gathering Defense Tactical and Strategic Intelligence Demographics & Religion (See Also Components of Strategic Intelligence Religion) The Intelligence Community Denial and Deception The Intelligence Cycle Department of Homeland Security Open Source Intelligence Cycle Department of Justice MiningThe Internet For Intelligence Department of The Treasury Key Army Access Sites Directories of the World Must Haves References Domain Name Servers Core Open Source Intelligence Drugs and Terrorism, Drug Cartels, And Documents & Guides Criminal Organizations MI Officer Students Drug Smuggling Techniques Global Incidents (interactive maps) Mexican Drug Cartels Reach Into The Access by Topic U.S. 911 Final Report Drug Cartels Moving Into The U.S. Acquisition Economic/Financial Afghanistan El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) Africa E-Mail Lookups Agriculture Embassies of the World Al Qaeda/Taliban Energy Aljazeera Fauxtography Ammunition Plants and Depots Federal Government Area/International Codes Fusion Centers Armies Of The World Gangs (includes gangs in the Military) Aviation Global Incidents Interactive Maps Banking & Finance Global Threats/Conflict Biometrics Google Blogs and World Blogs Google Hacks And Others Bomb Threat Stand-Off Distances Hate Groups on The Internet Bridges Hezbollah CAMS Around the World Homeland Security (See Also Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) Department of Homeland Security) Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Human Trafficking Chemical/Biological/Radiological HUMINT China Identity Theft Collective Intelligence Image, Audio, Video Finder Computer Forensics IMINT Counterintelligence And Espionage Information Dominance/Operations Counterterrorism Improvised Explosive Devices Country Links/Studies Intelligence Resources Crime & Justice International Intelligence Agencies Cryptome (controversial site but has good Internet Privacy and Security information) Interpol Critical Thinking Iranian Military Cuba Iraninan Websites 2 Creative Commons Copyright © Ben Benavides—no commercial exploitation without contract Iraq Public Data On Sex Offenders Islam/Islamic Websites Public Intelligence Islamic Heraldry Rail Israel Reference/Research Tools Language Training Religions (see Also Demographics & Language/Web Site Translators Online Religions) (In Other Words) Russia Law Enforcement Support Satellite and Space Views (real time) Lessons Learned Search Engines & Meta Search Engines Library Resources Secret Armies Link Analysis Tools/Software Secure Email Liquefied Natural Gas Facilities Shopping Malls Lone Wolves Social Engineering Major Commands (MACOMS) Social Networking Mapping and Related Material Software For The Open Source Analyst Marine Corps includes Visualization Software Medical Intelligence Steganography and Terrorists Military Magazines Sudan Military Operations in Urban Terrain Suicide Bombers (MOUT) Suicide Bomber Profile Missile Threat Suspicious Behavior Could Indicate Muslim Brotherhood Terror Plotting National/International Most Wanted WEB Suspicious Packages Sites Taiwan National Security Agency Taliban Newspapers Around The World Technology Theft/Transfer Nongovernment Organizations (NGOs) Terrorism North Korean Military Terrorism News Nuclear Power Plants and WMD Series Terrorism Funding (Cryptome) Terrorist Targets Nuclear Reactors and Storage Terrorist Websites Nuclear Terrorism Tracerouting Online Services Training Resources Open Source Center (formerly the Transportation Foreign Broadcast Information Service) Tunnels OSINT Links UAVs OSINT Support Venezuela OSINT Training Water Conflict OSINT Exploitation and The Criminal Weapons Around The Globe Threat Weapons of Mass Destruction Open Source Software Weather Organized Crime World News Network Sitemap (make this Pakistan your first stop) People Finder Miscellaneous Piracy Ports Worldwide Propaganda (anti-U.S.) 3 Creative Commons Copyright © Ben Benavides—no commercial exploitation without contract Comments Forward any sites you feel should be added to me at [email protected] or [email protected] This is a living document and at the time of publication all links were active but don’t give up if you get the “Page Not Found” message. If a link does not work, try copying the link to the URL window. If it still doesn’t work place the cursor at the end of the URL address and backspace to the first slash and hit the enter key. If it still does not work keep backspacing to the next slash and press the enter key. Keep doing this until you either get a hit or enter the home page. Once in the homepage you should be able to find what you are looking for. But we all know the chaotic nature of the WEB and over time some sites will be pulled off or no longer function. If this is the case, you have a final recourse - the wayback machine, http://www.archive.org/. Copy the entire URL and paste it into the “take me back” box in the homepage. This should take you back to the original homepage and from there you can pick up key words to find what you are looking for. I realize also that we don’t think alike. If you feel some links do not belong in a particular category let me know and I will make the adjustments. If you feel a new category should be added please justify it, and if you discover links that you think are relevant to the handbook please submit your list and I will update. Together we can create a valuable guide that is not only useful to the intelligence analyst but also beneficial to all branches of the military, and civilian agencies. The idea is to develop something that any branch (infantry, artillery, armor, etc) besides MI can use for their own intelligence gathering. Remember, “Every Soldier Is A Sensor”. We could also apply this to the civilian world and say “Every Citizen Is A Sensor”. A good example is the individual that spotted the smoking SUV in Times Square and alerted police to the situation. Had the contents smoldered long enough it is quite possible the situation could have turned into something more serious. While I have tried to get you to your objective as quickly as possible, there is still no substitute for effective searching techniques. I strongly recommend looking over this very basic WEB searching techniques site http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Handouts.html and download the tutorial with powerpoint slides and handouts. The information is from 2009 but still very appropriate. I also like Russ Haynal’s Internet Training at http://navigators.com/opensource.html and I think you will too. Very easy to follow and digest the information even while working at your own pace. There are two areas one cannot get away from on the WEB, pornography and theological/political agendas. I have definitely made sure that none of the links end up with the former, but the latter cannot be avoided. I have been advised that I probably have published too much information and have made it easier for the criminal element. All the information gathered has been through open source harvesting and anyone with even the slightest knowledge of good searching techniques will be able to gather the same information. For example, the nuclear related portions in this handbook when merged together will produce a neat little file. You can gather this same information at the public library or by visiting several blogs and merging the results. Scattered throughout this handout you will run across material like Unclassified/FOUO, Law Enforcement Sensitive (LES), Restricted, Controlled Unclassified Information, and other caveats. Again, this is all open source exploitation. I did not hack into any sites! That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Those links that require a .mil or .gov return address are included for those authorized access, they will not work for those not authorized access. Prior to leaving the service of the U.S. Army, I established that this is my intellectual property and there are no applicable constraints on my sharing it with the public. 4 Creative Commons Copyright © Ben Benavides—no commercial exploitation without contract Open Source Intelligence (OSINT): What It Is and What It Isn’t According to the NATO Open Source Intelligence Handbook, November 2001, there are four distinct categories of open source information and intelligence. 1) Open Source Data (OSD). Data is the raw print, broadcast, oral debriefing, or other form of information from a primary source. It can be a photograph, a tape recording, a commercial satellite image, or a personal letter from an individual. A god example is a reporter embedded with forces in Afghanistan or Iraq. He/she is taking pictures, talking to soldiers, recording conversations and firefights, and taking notes with a pen or pencil. This is considered raw data until it goes through a conversion process to create a coherent product. 2) Open Source Information