A curated list of high-quality open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools, resources, and techniques for investigations, journalism, cybersecurity, and more.
OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) involves collecting and analyzing publicly available data to support research, threat analysis, verification, and accountability. This list is valuable for journalists, security professionals, investigators, researchers, and activists.
- General OSINT Resources
- Search Engines & Indexes
- People Search
- Social Media Investigation
- Geolocation & Maps
- Image & Video Analysis
- Domain & DNS Tools
- IP & Network Intelligence
- Dark Web OSINT
- OSINT Automation
- Training & Guides
- Communities & Directories
- Related Awesome Lists
- OSINT Framework – Comprehensive index of tools categorized by target (e.g., email, social networks).
- Bellingcat’s OSINT Tools – Tools and tips used by the investigative journalism collective.
- IntelTechniques – Tools and resources for private investigators and law enforcement.
- Maltego – Graph-based link analysis platform for intelligence and forensics.
- Google Dorking Database – Advanced search queries to discover vulnerable targets or hidden data.
- Shodan – Search engine for Internet-connected devices and open ports.
- Censys – Internet scanning and analysis platform for devices, services, and certificates.
- Pipl – Commercial people search engine aggregating deep web data.
- BeenVerified – Aggregated background checks and social data.
- Whoogle – Self-hosted search engine that delivers Google results without tracking.
- Social Searcher – Real-time search across multiple social networks.
- AccountAnalysis – Analyze public data on X/Twitter accounts.
- Spoonbill – Track bios and changes of Twitter profiles.
- Smihub / Dumpor (Instagram) – View and download public Instagram stories and posts anonymously.
- Google Earth – High-resolution satellite imagery and street-level visuals.
- Sentinel Hub EO Browser – Satellite imagery with environmental and geographic overlays.
- Mapillary – Street-level imagery from users worldwide.
- SunCalc – Shows sun movement and sunlight phases anywhere on Earth.
- FotoForensics – Analyze image metadata and digital forensics.
- YouTube DataViewer (Amnesty) – Extract upload timestamps and thumbnails.
- InVID Toolkit – Browser extension for video verification.
- TinEye – Reverse image search to trace image origin.
- WHOIS Lookup (ICANN) – Official WHOIS database search.
- ViewDNS – Tools to analyze domains, IPs, and DNS.
- DNSDumpster – Free domain research and reconnaissance tool.
- IPinfo – IP address lookup and geolocation.
- SecurityTrails – Domain, IP, and DNS information.
- AbuseIPDB – Check if an IP has been reported for abuse.
- Ahmia – Search engine for Tor hidden services (uses clearnet).
- OnionLand – Search engine for .onion sites.
- Tor Project – Software for accessing the Tor network safely and anonymously.
- SpiderFoot – OSINT automation platform with over 200 modules.
- Recon-ng – Web reconnaissance framework written in Python.
- Metagoofil – Extract metadata from public documents.
- GHunt – Investigate Google accounts and services using public info.
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to OSINT – Comprehensive learning resource and methodology guide.
- OSINT Techniques by Michael Bazzell – Popular book on practical techniques.
- Bellingcat’s Guide to OSINT – Tutorials and workflows for investigations.
- r/OSINT (Reddit) – Active subreddit for sharing techniques, tools, and questions.
- Trace Labs – Organization using OSINT for finding missing persons.
- OSINTCurio.us – Blog and podcast by OSINT experts.
- Awesome Privacy – Tools and resources for maintaining online privacy.
- Awesome Journalism – Tools and platforms for investigative and digital journalism.
- Awesome Surveillance – Projects and information related to surveillance and counter-surveillance.
- Awesome Threat Intelligence – Curated list of threat intelligence resources.
Contributions are welcome!
