A question I am often asked by enthousiasts is how to explore the fascinating world of OSINT. My own journey spans about 45 years and I am still learning. There is no simple answer, but for OSINT from a strategic security, international relations or forensics viewpoint, the following guidance may provide a good starting points.
Five steps to become an OSINTian:
Table of Contents
1. Start to read
Dive into the literature to learn how countries and sometimes corporate sector have developed an OSINT production capability, the theory behind it, how to design such a capability, the issues, challenges, setup, capabilities etc.
The OSINT bibliography in the OSINT Treasure Trove may be a good start http://bibliography.opensourceintelligence.biz
2. Know the job
To understand OSINT, you need to understand the global organisation of information. You need to know the structure and system of open source information. Which types and kinds of sources are there out there and how are they made accessible? How to get access to that wealth of information? Learn subject indexing techniques, search strategies, Boolean logic, database techniques and much more. Learn librarianship.
3. Know your languages
English is dominant, but it is a great help if you also understand Mandarin Chinese, Arabic and Russian. Languages are much more difficult than you think. It is not just translating words and sentences, equally important is to understand the culture behind it. Someone who writes about the English Channel is probably British. What is the nationality of someone who writes about the Arabian Gulf?
4. Build your information position
Choose the subject category you want to specialise in at a very early stage in your OSINT career. If you are interested in OSINT for financial fraud, start learn about bookkeeping, accountancy and related disciplines. Learn what it is, how to do it, learn the best sources, the language used, best authors, experts, conferences, journals, forums, websites. Know what you are talking about.
5. Learn computer coding
Last, but not least. I started learning computer programming in the 1980s and have been doing that ever since. It is one of the most helpful things I ever did in OSINT. Until today I make use of these skills. Learn HTML, XML, XSLT, JavaScript PERL or PYTHON, C++ LaTeX. Learn how your operating system actually works, learn basic networking technologies to better understand OSINT support tools like Maltego.
And for your personal qualities: I expect three things: extreme curiosity, highly eager to learn, and a sharp mind. But the first two are basically sufficient. Being eager to learn and being very curious will get you almost anywhere.
