CYBER SECURITY

With the vast amount of data created by this alone , open-source intelligence ( OSINT ) has become an increasingly valuable tool .

With history spanning back to the Second World War involving the collection of information from publicly available sources like newspapers , radio broadcasts and even conversations among people to gain insights about the enemy ’ s activities and intentions , OSINT provides a way to collect and analyse publicly available data which can then be used to make informed decisions .

“ Open Source Intelligence is where cybersecurity experts , as well as cybercriminals , try and gather as much information as is publicly available about an organisation , asset or individual as they can , so as to use the information gathered to their advantage ,” explains Ed Williams , Regional VP , Penetration Testing , EMEA at MDR leader Trustwave .

OSINT augmenting enterprise security As Williams asserts , it is crucial to have an understanding of what OSINT is and how it can be used against an enterprise , asset or individual . “ A good example of this , and one that has yielded results in the past , is job descriptions and the details they offer ,” he says . “ This detail can and has played an important role in creating pinpointed cyber-attacks that target specific individuals , thereby making them all the more susceptible and vulnerable to these attacks .

“ With this in mind , OSINT can enable companies to understand the threats that are most likely to affect their organisation ; it can help experts in understanding an organisation ’ s attack surface and exposed

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