🛡️ Digital Vanguard: Session 6 Study Guide
1. What is OSINT?
Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) is the practice of collecting, analyzing, and making sense of information that is publicly available. In the Man O' War, we don't need "secret" access to be effective; we just need to be better at finding what is already there.
- Binary Search: Typing "Security in Nigeria" into Google.
- Vanguard OSINT: Using specialized filters to find a specific person's social media trail, verifying the location of a viral video, or tracking weather patterns that might affect a rescue mission.
2. The OSINT Cycle
To turn data into "Actionable Intelligence," you must follow this loop:
- Requirements: What specifically are you looking for?
- Discovery: Finding the data using "Dorks" (Advanced search strings).
- Analysis: Is this information real or "fake news"?
- Dissemination: Reporting the findings to your Command.
3. Tactical Google "Dorking"
A Vanguard doesn't just "Google it." We use operators to filter the noise. Try these in your search bar:
- filetype:pdf "security report" — Finds actual PDF documents related to security.
- site:twitter.com "Akure" "accident" — Searches only Twitter for recent accidents in a specific city.
- "John Doe" site:facebook.com — Finds a specific name only on Facebook.
🛠️ Hands-On Activities (The Intelligence Lab)
Activity 1: The Geolocation Challenge
Goal: Verify a location using visual clues.
- The Task: Find a photo of a landmark in your city on social media. Use Google Maps (Satellite View) to find the exact building or street corner where the photo was taken. Look for shadows, unique trees, or street signs.
Activity 2: The Digital Footprint Audit
Goal: Understand what the "enemy" can see about you.
- The Task: Search for your own name or your Command's name using the "Dorking" methods above.
- The Question: Are there any security leaks (phone numbers, home addresses, or private photos) that need to be removed?
🌐 Free Tactical OSINT Tools
| Tool | Why use it? | Practice Link |
| Google Dorks Helper | Generates advanced search strings for you. | dorkgpt.com |
| Google Lens | Identify objects, landmarks, or text in a photo. | lens.google |
| Wayback Machine | See what a website looked like months or years ago. | archive.org |
| SunCalc | Determine the time of day a photo was taken based on shadows. | suncalc.org |
📝 Assignment for Day 6:
- The Investigation: Find a news article about a local event from the last 48 hours.
- Fact Check: Use Google Lens or Reverse Image Search to see if the images used in the article are original or if they were recycled from an old event.
- The Brief: Write a 1-paragraph summary explaining if the news is "Verified" or "Suspicious" based on your OSINT findings.
Command Directive: "Information is everywhere. Intelligence is only found by those who know how to look. Be the eyes of the Nation."