Discover my analysis and thoughts on open-source intelligence, strategic monitoring and competitive intelligence.
OSINT teaching still often rests on a succession of modules devoted to search engines, social networks, archives or specialised tools. An effective way to pass on techniques, but one that poorly reflects the reality of an investigation — made of uncertainty, hypotheses and successive changes of direction. Presented at the European IAFIE conference, this paper proposes a different teaching approach: placing the investigation itself at the centre of learning, through a real case handled live.
After several years teaching OSINT, I have reshaped my approach: moving away from modular teaching (methodology, search engines, archives and so on) towards learning built around managing uncertainty, using a real due diligence case. Because training an analyst capable of running an investigation is not just about mastering tools: they must learn to reason without knowing where the answer lies, or even whether it exists at all.
France's most wanted fugitive may have used the username Epsilon on a forum. Testing this hypothesis is an opportunity to revisit investigative methodology.
Through two examples of assignments, this article shows concretely how OSINT fits into the work of an economic intelligence firm.
CTFs are a fun way to improve your OSINT skills. For a successful challenge, the design phase is essential and rests on several pillars that I would like to set out.
As investigative tools proliferate, it is worth remembering that OSINT is, above all, a matter of method and mindset.