Glossaire OSINT
Des définitions claires et pratiques des termes, techniques et acronymes clés du renseignement en sources ouvertes — une page par concept.
55 termes
Core disciplines
8Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT)
Intelligence derived from imagery and geospatial data — the discipline of working with location.
arrow_forwardHuman Intelligence (HUMINT)
Intelligence gathered from human sources through interpersonal contact.
arrow_forwardImagery Intelligence (IMINT)
Intelligence produced by analysing imagery such as photographs and satellite pictures.
arrow_forwardIntelligence Cycle
The structured process that turns raw information into finished, actionable intelligence.
arrow_forwardOpen-Source Intelligence (OSINT)
The practice of collecting and analysing publicly available information to produce actionable intelligence.
arrow_forwardPriority Intelligence Requirement (PIR)
The specific question an intelligence effort is tasked to answer.
arrow_forwardSignals Intelligence (SIGINT)
Intelligence derived from intercepted signals and electronic communications.
arrow_forwardSocial Media Intelligence (SOCMINT)
The branch of OSINT concerned with extracting insight from social-media platforms.
arrow_forwardTechniques
10Chronolocation
Determining when an image or video was captured from clues within it.
arrow_forwardDigital Footprint
The total trail of data a person or organisation leaves across the internet.
arrow_forwardFootprinting
Systematically mapping the online presence and infrastructure of a target.
arrow_forwardGeolocation
Determining the precise real-world location where an image or video was captured.
arrow_forwardGoogle Dorking
Using advanced search-engine operators to surface information that basic searches miss.
arrow_forwardPivoting
Moving from one piece of information to the next until a single clue becomes a full picture.
arrow_forwardReverse Image Search
Searching by an image rather than text to find where else it appears online.
arrow_forwardSock Puppet
A carefully maintained fake research identity used to investigate without exposing the analyst.
arrow_forwardUsername Enumeration
Checking a username across many platforms to map every account tied to it.
arrow_forwardWeb Scraping
Automatically extracting data from websites at scale.
arrow_forwardIdentifiers & artifacts
5Domain Name System (DNS)
The system that maps human-readable domain names to internet addresses.
arrow_forwardEXIF Data
Metadata embedded in image files, often including GPS coordinates and device details.
arrow_forwardIP Address
A numerical label identifying a device or server on a network.
arrow_forwardMetadata
Data about data — hidden information embedded in files, posts, and documents.
arrow_forwardWHOIS
A public record of who registered a domain name and when.
arrow_forwardInfrastructure
5Attack Surface
The sum of an organisation's exposed systems and entry points visible to an outsider.
arrow_forwardAutonomous System (ASN)
A block of IP addresses under the control of a single network operator.
arrow_forwardCertificate Transparency
Public logs of issued TLS certificates that reveal an organisation's domains and subdomains.
arrow_forwardReverse DNS
Looking up the domain name associated with an IP address.
arrow_forwardSubdomain Enumeration
Discovering the subdomains that belong to a domain to map its full footprint.
arrow_forwardData sources
7Dark Web
Websites that require special software such as Tor to access.
arrow_forwardData Breach
An incident in which private data is exposed or stolen, often ending up in public leak databases.
arrow_forwardData Broker
A company that aggregates and sells personal information compiled from public and commercial sources.
arrow_forwardDeep Web
Online content that exists but is not indexed by search engines.
arrow_forwardPublic Records
Government and official records that are legally accessible to the public.
arrow_forwardSurface Web
The part of the web indexed by standard search engines.
arrow_forwardWeb Archive
A service that stores historical snapshots of web pages.
arrow_forwardVerification & disinformation
7Corroboration
Confirming a fact by checking it against multiple independent sources.
arrow_forwardDeepfake
Synthetic media in which a person appears to say or do something they never did, generated by AI.
arrow_forwardDisinformation
False information deliberately created and spread to deceive.
arrow_forwardMisinformation
False information shared without the intent to deceive.
arrow_forwardProvenance
The origin and history of a piece of content — where it first appeared and how it travelled.
arrow_forwardSynthetic Media
Any content — image, video, audio, or text — generated or heavily altered by AI.
arrow_forwardVerification
The disciplined process of confirming that information is genuine before relying on it.
arrow_forwardOPSEC & privacy
5Attribution
Determining who is really behind an anonymous account, campaign, or piece of infrastructure.
arrow_forwardCompartmentation
Keeping separate identities and activities strictly isolated so they cannot be linked.
arrow_forwardDoxxing
Publishing someone's private information online, usually to harass or intimidate.
arrow_forwardMetadata Scrubbing
Removing hidden metadata from files before sharing them.
arrow_forwardOperational Security (OPSEC)
The practice of protecting an investigation and the investigator from exposure.
arrow_forwardPractice & analysis
8Application Programming Interface (API)
A structured interface that lets programs request data from a service directly.
arrow_forwardCapture The Flag (CTF)
A competitive exercise used to learn and sharpen OSINT skills.
arrow_forwardDue Diligence
Researching a person or company to assess risk before a decision or transaction.
arrow_forwardFacial Recognition
Technology that identifies or matches a person from an image of their face.
arrow_forwardLink Analysis
Mapping relationships between people, accounts, and entities as a network graph.
arrow_forwardPretexting
Using a fabricated scenario to manipulate someone into revealing information.
arrow_forwardRate Limit
A cap on how many requests a service will accept in a given period.
arrow_forwardThreat Intelligence (CTI)
Intelligence about cyber threats used to anticipate and defend against attacks.
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