So, you have successfully completed your master’s degree in international security, international relations, history, intelligence studies or something similar, and you are very interested in pursuing a career in open source intelligence.
Now what?
This is a question I get a lot from postgraduate students. What practical tips can I give to actually prepare on a career in OSINT. Here are about ten, based on my personal experience, hopefully there is something in there that is useful for you.
Here we go.
1. Choose a subject area
OSINT is a very very wide field. OSINT is almost everywhere, in every discipline, subject, category. Many organisations, governments, private sector make use of open sources in support of their decision making process. Your first priority is therefore to specialise in a certain subject area of OSINT, make your choice of research areas you find interesting. OSINT for international relations requires a completely different skill set then forensic OSINT for instance. Make your choice: are you going for financial fraud? International conflict? Research in Education? OSINT for cybercrime/cyberwar? Make your choice as soon as possible and start building your information position in that area.
2. Do your reading
There is two main categories of literature that you need to read. One is information about your chosen subjects and the second is about actionable OSINT methods and techniques.
Interested in cybercrime/war? Start reading about what that is, how it works, what has happened, pay attention to the terminology used, make notes, pay attention to authors, publishers, sources and references. Investigate and learn how OSINT can play a role in cybercrime/war. Get an understanding of the open source information requirements in that field. Know who the key players are, and who are not. Or maybe you are interested in forensic OSINT? Then also study the law to understand what is allowed and what is not, how to save information so it can be used in evidence, and much more. Know your customer.
Learn about OSINT methods and techniques. The OSINT Treasure Trove is an online OSINT Bibliography with descriptions and links to reports, papers and books. You may want to start with OSINT Techniques by Michael Bazzell intended for practitioners, or Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) : issues for Congress to get a more political view to the use and operation of OSINT in government.
For your intelligence analysis part (OSINT is about producing INTelligence remember?) a good start is Psychology of Intelligence Analysis by Richards J. Heuer, a former CIA analyst and a name to remember. If you like hardcore intelligence analysis techniques, buy and study Structured Analytic techniques for intelligence analysis by Richards J. Heuer and Randolph H. Pherson
Make notes.
After a year or so, I expect you to have several tables of leading authors, leading co-authors, leading journals, publishers, conferences, discussion groups, forums, mailing lists etc. on your subject area. For each, you make note of the backgrounds, affiliation, status (independent, state-controlled, activist, opposition and the like) to name a few. Also, you make a list of what I call ‘clowns’, or what Greg Notess calls “Know-It-All’s”: so called experts who think they know, but do not. Think AI experts today. Always write down the reasons.
3. Do some courses
Do one or two courses on HOW to setup and execute a proper open source research plan to get actionable results. Do not fall for the trap of just learning tools.
Knowing tools does not make you an OSINT investigator.
Do one or two courses on OSINT models and methods. Do a follow-up course on OSINT tools applicable in your subject area. Thirdly, do some case studies with experienced OSINT professionals in the field to get an idea how to apply all the theory on a real case scenario.
4. Learn to programme
This may sound funny and totally overdone. I can assure you however, nothing has come in more helpful in my career than knowing a little about the art of practical programming techniques. It has learned me how to automate my work processes, allowing me to work more efficiently. It also learned me a lot about how computers work, how computer networks work, how to communicate productively with ICT and understanding their needs and concerns. It learned me understanding computer problems and solving them. It is may be even mandatory to effectively use GitHub.
The training programmes documentation and presentations for example that I use is the product of some PERL scripts, XSLT and JavaScript. Using WordPress for your website? I am happy I know a little on how to use PHP and CSS to have the website do what I want it to do.
In OSINT, it is really helpful to learn Python. I myself learned to use PERL, Bash, DOS (and BASIC obviously). In addition, learning a few declarative and markup languages like HTML, CSS, XSLT, LaTeX, XML and the like. They come in very handy in my daily work in OSINT.
5. Learn Internet networking techniques
Whether you like it or not, regardless the type and kind of OSINT you do, for validation purposes you need to know how an internet network is designed, run, and operates.
Learn to understand domain names, IP addresses, MAC, protocols (FTP, Telnet, IRC, HTTP, Border Gateway Protocol for instance), governance. Learn how all this is organised so you can find out about relations between IP addresses and domain names to find owners and may be suspects. Study e-mail headers to learn how to track spoof mail.
There is many study books out there to help you here. CISCO even has a free networking course on different levels. Try O’Reilly publisher if you are interested.
6. Join OSINT discussion groups
Find and join some discussion groups, a few on OSINT and a few on your area of expertise. Think Listserv mailing lists, groups on social media etc. Find the ones that are truly about OSINT.
Avoid the ones that merely have borrowed the term OSINT to make their work a little more sexy which unfortunately happens a lot on for instance LinkedIn.
LinkedIn has one or two groups on OSINT. So do Facebook. Some are very lively, active and productive, others are more passive.
Also consider good old ListServ. Discussion groups via e-mail. NEWSLIB-L and BUSLIB-L are both very active lists with usually interesting questions and solutions.
7. Build your network
It is about time you started with a Little Black Book of Names. Names of people that can help you with specific knowledge, specific skills, specific experiences, or otherwise. Arrange your Little Black Book not just by name, but also by skill, property, knowledge level, whatever is useful for you.
Your network eventually may give you access to information that is not available in any other way.
8. Learn your languages
Both ways.
That is, you need to know the specific vocabulary used by your clients in your subject area and understand the meaning of the vocabulary. For example, is that area between Israel and Jordan called West bank, or, Judea and Samaria? What does it mean if an author uses one or the other term?
And the other way, depending on your area, you may want to have at the very least passive knowledge of Russian, Chinese and Arabic. This includes basic knowledge on history and culture, for these greatly influences language. If you are in international relations/security, intelligence studies, conflict studies.
Doing OSINT on current worldwide conflicts will be pretty limited if you do not master the local languages.
9. Know your sources
A real OSINTian is a real Source Horse (credit to Amelia Kassel). Know your sources. Study your sources and know the useability, reliability, trusthworthiness and a bunch of other validation criteria. And the content off course. You want to know what answers you can find in a source that may be helpfull to solve some requirement.
OSINTians have many answers, but the do not know what question will be.
Read the database directories of Lexis-Nexis, Factiva, Dialog to get an idea what databases are available, what does each database offer. Get a subscription on your local National Bibliography to know what is going to be published (new journals, new maps, new books, new newspapers etc.). Talk to journalists about sources, talk to colleagues about sources. Go and study the reading room of a large and well equiped public library to find out about sources.
10. Possible employers
Then the final questions, which employers may benefit from OSINT and are thus worthwhile to take into consideration for a job application.
There is many out there, since so many are in some way dependent on open source information.
Think national governments. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ministry of Justice, Home affairs. Think about embassies.
Think about national institutes. Such as your local police force, intelligence services, security institutes.
Think international governments or international organisations. Such as EU, United Nations, NATO.
Think about EU, NATO or UN missions such as EUMM, EUAM, Frontex, UNMISS or the Nato Mission in Iraq.
Think about the private sector. About every large company needs good information. Think the financial sector, banking, insurance. They all need open source analists to some extent.