In the world of Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), understanding digital footprints is paramount. For cybersecurity professionals, journalists, and ethical investigators, a handful of websites have become indispensable. They provide a window into the vast underground economy of stolen data and the tools used by cybercriminals.
Today, we’re diving into four powerful OSINT websites that should be in every investigator’s toolkit: Have I Been Pwned, Hudson Rock, Dehashed, and Ashley’s Cynical.
The World’s Secrets Are Hiding in Plain Sight.
1. Have I Been Pwned (HIBP)
What it is: The most well-known and user-friendly service for checking if your email addresses or phone numbers have been compromised in a data breach.
Key Features for OSINT:
- Email Search: Quickly check if a target email has appeared in known breaches.
- Paste Search: Scans “pastes” (data dumps on sites like Pastebin) for the target email, often an early indicator of a new, unreported breach.
- Domain Search: A premium feature that allows you to monitor an entire domain, alerting you if any employee’s email is found in a new breach. This is critical for corporate security.
OSINT Use Case: Verifying if a person of interest has had their credentials exposed, which can inform you about their account security and potential vulnerabilities.
2. Hudson Rock – Cybercrime Tools Intelligence
https://www.hudsonrock.com/threat-intelligence-cybercrime-tools
What it is: A specialized platform focused on intelligence around malware and cybercrime tools, particularly infostealers like RedLine and Raccoon.
Key Features for OSINT:
- Tool-Centric Analysis: Instead of just tracking data, it tracks the malware used to steal it. You can search for specific infostealer families.
- Infection Insights: Provides data on how many computers a specific malware family has infected, the geolocation of victims, and which websites are used to distribute the malware.
- Connecting the Dots: Helps understand the method of a breach, not just the fact that it happened.
OSINT Use Case: Investigating a specific malware campaign. If you know a particular group uses a certain infostealer, this site can provide intelligence on its prevalence and infection vectors.
3. Dehashed
What it is: A robust search engine for compromised credentials and databases. It is often considered a more comprehensive, though less polished, alternative to HIBP.
Key Features for OSINT:
- Broad Search Parameters: Search by email, username, name, phone number, address, and even IP address or VIN.
- Access to Raw Data: Provides the actual breached data (passwords, hashes, etc.), which is crucial for forensic analysis and understanding the full scope of a breach.
- API Access: Offers an API for automated queries, making it a powerful tool for integration into security workflows.
OSINT Use Case: When you need to go beyond a simple “yes/no” and require the actual leaked credentials or a wider net of personal information related to your target.
4. Ashley’s Cynical (Ashley Madison Search)
What it is: A highly specific search tool created to explore the data from the infamous 2015 Ashley Madison hack. Ashley Madison was a dating website for people seeking extramarital affairs.
Key Features for OSINT:
- Focused Dataset: Searches exclusively through the leaked Ashley Madison user data.
- Detailed Records: Can reveal email addresses, usernames, home addresses, and transaction records associated with the site.
- Investigative Utility: While sensitive, this data has been used in investigations involving infidelity, fraud, blackmail, and public figure scandals.
OSINT Use Case: Primarily used in due diligence, infidelity cases, or investigations where presence on this specific platform is a relevant factor. Important: Use this tool ethically and in compliance with local laws regarding personal data.
Using These Tools Responsibly
The power of these OSINT websites comes with significant ethical and legal responsibility.
- Legitimate Purpose: Use them only for legitimate investigations, security research, or personal security checks.
- Respect Privacy: Do not use the information for harassment, stalking, or unauthorized access to accounts.
- Know the Law: Be aware of data protection laws in your jurisdiction (like GDPR) that govern the use of personal data.
By integrating these four websites into your OSINT workflow, you can build a more complete picture of an individual’s or organization’s digital exposure, understand the threat landscape, and ultimately, make more informed decisions.
What are your go-to OSINT websites for cybersecurity? Share your favorites in the comments below!