CORVUS MIND

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OPEN SOURCE INTELLIGENCE

OSINT

OSINT (Open Source INTelligence) is the art of collecting, cross-checking and analysing publicly available information to answer a question. No hacking, no intrusion: only what anyone can legally access, but read methodically.

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THE PRINCIPLE

Turning public data into intelligence

A single piece of data is worth nothing on its own. OSINT means assembling scattered fragments (a photo, a username, a date, a domain name) until they tell something verifiable. Three rules guide all the work:

Open sources

We only use what is public and legally accessible. No intrusion, no bypassing of access controls.

Cross-checking

A piece of information is only kept once confirmed by at least two independent sources. A single clue is a lead, not a proof.

Traceability

Every conclusion is documented: source, date, screenshot. What isn't sourced doesn't exist.

SPECIALTIES

The disciplines of OSINT

OSINT branches into complementary sub-fields. A serious investigation almost always combines several of them.

SOCMINT

Social media

Analysis of the traces left on platforms: profiles, posts, follows, metadata. A reused username is often the best bridge between two identities.
GEOINT

Geolocation

Determining where an image was taken from visual clues: shop signs, architecture, vegetation, shadows, road signs. Reverse search and mapping do the rest.
IMINT

Image analysis

Reading an image beyond its subject: EXIF metadata, reverse search, manipulation detection, detail extraction. Verify authenticity before using it.
PEOPLE

People search

Linking email, username, phone number and accounts to rebuild a digital footprint, within the legal framework. Pivoting from one identifier to the next.
WEBINT

Web & infrastructure

Mapping a website: subdomains, certificates, DNS, technologies, history. Understanding what is exposed without ever touching it.
CHRONO

Chronolocation

Dating an event or an image: sun position, weather, archives, versions of a page over time. The "when" matters as much as the "where".

METHOD

The intelligence cycle

An investigation is never improvised. It follows a cycle that is repeated until the answer is solid.

  1. 01
    Direction

    Define the question precisely. What are we looking for, why, and what does a valid answer look like?

  2. 02
    Collection

    Gather the relevant open sources: search engines, social networks, archives, public databases. Broad first, then precise.

  3. 03
    Processing

    Clean, decode, organise. Extract metadata, translate, convert, sort the clues.

  4. 04
    Analysis

    Cross-check, test the hypotheses against each other, look for contrary evidence. A lead only becomes a fact once confirmed.

  5. 05
    Dissemination

    Report clearly: conclusion, confidence level, dated sources. The writeup is part of the work.

FRAMEWORK

Ethics & legality

What OSINT is

  • Consulting public, legally accessible sources
  • Observing without interaction or intrusion
  • Rigorous documentation and compliance with the GDPR
  • Serving a legitimate purpose (CTF, research, verification)

What OSINT is not

  • Accessing an account or bypassing a protection
  • Impersonating someone to extract information
  • Harassing, monitoring or targeting a private individual
  • Collecting sensitive data without a legitimate purpose

The line is simple: if getting the information requires deceiving someone, forcing access or violating their privacy, it is no longer OSINT. Corvus Mind sticks to this strictly.

PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

The toolbox

Each discipline has its tools. We have gathered the most useful ones, with what the free version allows and what premium unlocks for each.

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