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OSINT: The Authoritative Guide to Due Diligence
Are you ready to become a master of online open-source due diligence with the guidance of a top industry expert?
"This book is an absolute must-have for security and intelligence professionals... "
- Angel Villegas, US Army (Retired) / Flashpoint Intelligence
The Authoritative OSINT Guide to Business Due Diligence by Cynthia Hetherington is a comprehensive guide to the world of online investigations. This essential read is a treasure trove for anyone keen to delve into the realm of cyber intelligence, whether you’re a newbie looking to protect personal interests, a seasoned business due diligence analyst who wants to catch up on the new tools, or a law enforcement or military professional who wants to transition into a new career in the private investigation realm.
The Authoritative OSINT Guide skillfully covers all of the crucial topics, including researching open sources, understanding the ethical and legal aspects of online research, and mastering the art of crafting impactful intelligence reports.
Whether you're embarking on a cybersecurity career, seeking to augment your existing skills, or acting to protect your interests, this book is an invaluable resource. Cynthia Hetherington, with her extensive experience and accolades in corporate intelligence and cyber investigations, provides insights that are both practical and profound. The Authoritative OSINT Guide is not just about learning techniques; it's about becoming part of a larger mission to make informed decisions and protect communities from digital threats.
Get your copy today and level up!
-Best Viewed on a Tablet-
"This book must be on the desk of every person who performs OSINT services. Cynthia spells out her and her team's secret sauce for making them the premier OSINT professional services firm in the world. Cynthia is hands-down the leader in OSINT methodology and training…and she is willing to share her experience and expertise with the OSINT world. This new book is Exhibit A!"
--Dan Ramey, CPA, CFE, CFF, Houston Financial Forensics, LLC
About the Author: Cynthia Hetherington, Founder and CEO of Hetherington Group (Hg), is a renowned figure in cyber intelligence, specializing in due diligence, corporate intelligence, and cyber investigations. She is the founder of the OSINT Academy, a division of Hg, which trains thousands in various fields on best practices in cyber intelligence and has played a pivotal role in the National Cybersecurity Workforce Development Program.
A passionate mentor and advocate, Ms. Hetherington contributes to various organizations aimed at protecting children from cyber exploitation and promoting women in technology, earning her recognition as the Women in IT USA’s 2022 Security Leader of the Year and the 2023 Advocate of the Year.
"This book is an absolute must-have for security and intelligence professionals... "
- Angel Villegas, US Army (Retired) / Flashpoint Intelligence
The Authoritative OSINT Guide to Business Due Diligence by Cynthia Hetherington is a comprehensive guide to the world of online investigations. This essential read is a treasure trove for anyone keen to delve into the realm of cyber intelligence, whether you’re a newbie looking to protect personal interests, a seasoned business due diligence analyst who wants to catch up on the new tools, or a law enforcement or military professional who wants to transition into a new career in the private investigation realm.
The Authoritative OSINT Guide skillfully covers all of the crucial topics, including researching open sources, understanding the ethical and legal aspects of online research, and mastering the art of crafting impactful intelligence reports.
Whether you're embarking on a cybersecurity career, seeking to augment your existing skills, or acting to protect your interests, this book is an invaluable resource. Cynthia Hetherington, with her extensive experience and accolades in corporate intelligence and cyber investigations, provides insights that are both practical and profound. The Authoritative OSINT Guide is not just about learning techniques; it's about becoming part of a larger mission to make informed decisions and protect communities from digital threats.
Get your copy today and level up!
-Best Viewed on a Tablet-
"This book must be on the desk of every person who performs OSINT services. Cynthia spells out her and her team's secret sauce for making them the premier OSINT professional services firm in the world. Cynthia is hands-down the leader in OSINT methodology and training…and she is willing to share her experience and expertise with the OSINT world. This new book is Exhibit A!"
--Dan Ramey, CPA, CFE, CFF, Houston Financial Forensics, LLC
About the Author: Cynthia Hetherington, Founder and CEO of Hetherington Group (Hg), is a renowned figure in cyber intelligence, specializing in due diligence, corporate intelligence, and cyber investigations. She is the founder of the OSINT Academy, a division of Hg, which trains thousands in various fields on best practices in cyber intelligence and has played a pivotal role in the National Cybersecurity Workforce Development Program.
A passionate mentor and advocate, Ms. Hetherington contributes to various organizations aimed at protecting children from cyber exploitation and promoting women in technology, earning her recognition as the Women in IT USA’s 2022 Security Leader of the Year and the 2023 Advocate of the Year.
Kindle Edition
Published July 15, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 10, 2025
Saw the author promoting this book and thought I'd pick it up through Amazon's Kindle Unlimited promotion. I have been getting into Open-Source Intelligence (get it) research and thought this would be an interesting read. I have a lot of experience with it in different areas but was super curious to read a comprehensive book about the subject, which is something I haven't done.
The book is what it says. The author takes the reader through various aspects of research, which goes way beyond Google. Social media, legal records, business documents, and more. Each chapter takes one aspect of OSINT and looks at the ins and outs of how to do the research, the why it can be important to your investigation and case studies of clients/examples of how and why these tools can be used and why it can be important to use such and such tool to verify things.
That's pretty much it. Once you get the idea of how each chapter is structured then you can figure out what it will look like for the next tool.
If you're someone who is completely new to the field, this can be an interesting and useful overview of how to use tools and how to search things. If you are somewhat familiar, you may find it useful for tools you don't know. It can be time-eating if you try to use every single tool in the order as they are presented (it can also be difficult to contextualize what you're looking for). I would say this more of a general guide/outline than a "how to, step by step" instruction manual.
I would also hesitate to agree with the "definitive guide" as tools continue to evolve and change and/or they change because they remove aspects that make them useful as a research tool. I also was a little disappointed in seeing something like a brief explaining of say what Instagram is but no walkthrough of how to run a search. While you can always adapt boolean searches for another tool, many platforms and the like have their own unique search engine or way of working that may not translate.
Still, I got this via a promotion and for free, so I can't complain. There are also lots of guides, tools, etc. out there and you can learn much of this on your own or through tutorials on YouTube. BUT if you would like to have a good reference to have on hand and/or need a place to start, this would probably be a good place to begin.
The book is what it says. The author takes the reader through various aspects of research, which goes way beyond Google. Social media, legal records, business documents, and more. Each chapter takes one aspect of OSINT and looks at the ins and outs of how to do the research, the why it can be important to your investigation and case studies of clients/examples of how and why these tools can be used and why it can be important to use such and such tool to verify things.
That's pretty much it. Once you get the idea of how each chapter is structured then you can figure out what it will look like for the next tool.
If you're someone who is completely new to the field, this can be an interesting and useful overview of how to use tools and how to search things. If you are somewhat familiar, you may find it useful for tools you don't know. It can be time-eating if you try to use every single tool in the order as they are presented (it can also be difficult to contextualize what you're looking for). I would say this more of a general guide/outline than a "how to, step by step" instruction manual.
I would also hesitate to agree with the "definitive guide" as tools continue to evolve and change and/or they change because they remove aspects that make them useful as a research tool. I also was a little disappointed in seeing something like a brief explaining of say what Instagram is but no walkthrough of how to run a search. While you can always adapt boolean searches for another tool, many platforms and the like have their own unique search engine or way of working that may not translate.
Still, I got this via a promotion and for free, so I can't complain. There are also lots of guides, tools, etc. out there and you can learn much of this on your own or through tutorials on YouTube. BUT if you would like to have a good reference to have on hand and/or need a place to start, this would probably be a good place to begin.
August 17, 2024
This is a great book on doing intelligence gathering, whether it's to look somebody or a company up. While the title stands for Open Source Intelligence, and I usually associate that with governments, conflicts, and tech, this book shows how to look somebody up if needed. The book is in all layman's terms, so there isn't a high use of big words to show you how to investigate what you're investigating. It's well written and very informative, and has various websites listed to go to if you get your interest piqued in this field.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews