What is OSINT?
Open source intelligence is intelligence that is gathered from publicly available sources. Any intelligence that can be gathered without obtaining special skills or certifications would be considered open source. This would include data found online from search engines most commonly.
Why is OSINT important?
OSINT is one of the most effective ways of gathering intelligence quickly and effectively. In order to maintain an advantage over competitors, OSINT is one of the best tools available. It allows for strategic intelligence sharing when most needed.
What action do i take?
While OSINT is tremendously valuable, it is easy to overload the amount of data collected to a point where it is impossible to sift through it all. Most often, security professionals (along with potential threats) conduct open source intelligence gathering in order to focus their specific efforts in one area.