全球智库信息集成服务系统

Second-Generation Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and the OSINT Cycle

• OSINT has been revolutionized over the past two decades.
• OSINT is often underutilized by the Intelligence Community because of the difficultly in understanding emerging OSINT sources and methods, particularly social media platforms.
• A more robust definition of OSINT is needed, as open source data can come in many forms.
• Commercial off-the-shelf tools can serve the interests of the Intelligence Community, but they are rarely a perfect match, and many tools have extremely limited utility for intelligence analysis because they are not designed for its purposes.
• Rapid advances in machine learning and natural language processing are changing the efficiency of these methods for sorting, translating, and analyzing data for intelligence purposes.
• There are many opportunities for further research into OSINT methodology, commercial off-the-shelf tools for open source analysis, and open source analytic methods to bring greater intelligence value to the IC and to enable more-efficient operations.

This report presents a framework for understanding the modern practice of open source intelligence. It reviews the literature on open source intelligence and reexamines definitions used in other areas by the U.S. Intelligence Community in the context of modern open source information. The report describes the evolution of open source intelligence over the past 50-plus years, defines open source information and the open source intelligence cycle, and draws parallels between open source as an intelligence discipline and other intelligence disciplines. It also examines the methods used by open source tools and the challenges of using off-the-shelf technology for open source analysis. It concludes by suggesting areas for further study.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  Rethinking OSINT as an Intelligence Discipline

• Chapter Three

  OSINT Tools and Methods

• Chapter Four

  Conclusion