OSINT Reference Guide

OSINT Glossary: 56+ Open Source Intelligence Terms

Comprehensive definitions of key intelligence terminology for private investigators, law enforcement, corporate security, and OSINT professionals.

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OSINT Glossary: 56+ Open Source Intelligence Terms

AbuseIPDB

BBAN (Basic Bank Account Number)

Beneficial Owner

BIC/SWIFT Code

BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front)

Breach Data

Case File

Chain of Custody

Competitive Intelligence

Credential Stuffing

Data Leak

Digital Footprint

DNS (Domain Name System)

Domain Registrar

Due Diligence

Edge (Relationship)

Entity Correlation

Finding (Intelligence)

GEOINT (Geospatial Intelligence)

Graph Database

HUMINT (Human Intelligence)

IBAN (International Bank Account Number)

ICIJ (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists)

IMINT (Imagery Intelligence)

Investigation Notes (Encrypted)

IOC (Indicator of Compromise)

IP Geolocation

IP Reputation

IP/Domain Blacklist

KYC (Know Your Customer)

LEI (Legal Entity Identifier)

Link Analysis

Malware

MX Record (Mail Exchange)

Nameserver

Node (Entity)

Nominee Director

Offshore Entity

OPSEC (Operational Security)

OSINT (Open Source Intelligence)

Panama Papers

Pandora Papers

Paradise Papers

Password Hash

Password Pivot Search

Pivot (Investigation)

Reverse IP Lookup

SHA-256

Shell Company

SIGINT (Signals Intelligence)

Social Media OSINT

Sock Puppet Account

Threat Intelligence

Username Enumeration

WHOIS

Zero-Knowledge Encryption

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