Sidestepping OSINT
In the digital realm, OSINT, or Open Source Intelligence, refers to gathering data from public online sources & digital citizens often unknowingly broadcast slices of our personal lives — be it birthday celebrations on social media or contact details on general resumes or often using our real names or real card numbers for everyday transactions, all while innocently. Such seemingly innocuous information can be a treasure trove for malicious actors, repurposed for scams, identity theft, & much but much more.
To counter this, isn’t it prudent to become the guardian of our private data, shielding it from the hazardous gaze of online voyeurs?
The choice is yours.
Which data is worth protecting, & why?
While everyone’s needs may vary, some core data is often worth shielding from prying eyes. Below is some of the most sought-after info from Hackers, Scammers, & their coworkers & not the only one….
1- Date of Birth / DOB
2 — Personal Address
3 — E-Mail Addresses
4 — Name & Surname
5 — Telephone Number
6 — Usernames
Date of Birth / DOB
Who should know it?
As someone who isn’t a public figure or VIP, I often opt to hold some key data for myself, friends & family, workplace, doctors, or any other essential services. Concerning social networks, leisure websites, & apps, I’m wary about disseminating my confidential details, & often, I run a brief OSINT search to see who’s requesting my data. For instance, when I sign up for a social network or email account, I often use a different one than my real one. This simple step can help protect our personal information from nasty parties. When on Social or Suspicious Apps or Websites asking for my DOB, I often conceal my real identity as a non-government Entity. They have different forces when requesting people’s data.
Regarding social networks, email accounts, or any platform that might expose your date of birth, it’s a good idea to be cautious. This is not advice from an attorney, & I consistently WARMLY suggest further DOCUMENT yourself about your Country as laws or legislation may vary.
Always double-check who’s asking for your data.
Furthermore, please ensure you research your Country’s laws & do not consider this story as legal advice. These are only tips & tricks on how to protect your data online while maintaining anonymity.”
Personal Home Address
Should be public or not?
Who should be familiar with your residential address?
This is another bit I pick to conceal from the general public, as not everyone should know our doorstep. Protecting your home address could be crucial for preserving your privacy & security online & from the physical world.
Whether you’re signing up for a social network, creating a resume or cover letter, or using any other online platform, it’s a good idea to be cautious & avoid sharing your address unless is required. I prefer to use an old address, a post box (if allowed), a forwarding address service, or even a fake address when signing up on uncertain websites, as your info can be quickly publicly exposed if on the wrong website or app, thus, outcomes can be countless.
In various cases, legal requirements differ depending on the Country and can vary when dealing with entities such as businesses, governments, payment providers, leisure websites, or apps. In any case, you are entitled to know & research who asks for your data.
Like email & telephone numbers, our home address can expose us to diverse perils & as we all know, it is better to minimize threats than repair their harms.
For the right needs the right deeds.
Telephone Number
Is only 1 number a safe option?
Another critical piece of information about you is your telephone number, which we have often linked to from Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, Doctor services, Shopping, e-mails, & so on…….
Would you like to have all your accounts linked to one phone number? Have you ever considered the possibility of a hacker or someone similar getting your phone number or foiling your SMS? While this may seem like a scene from a sci-fi movie, it is likely & may only vary due to your location & other elements. Similar scenarios, with or without special tools, are used daily, sometimes only by Social Engineering, by malicious actors to take over accounts. Indeed, as always, better care than repair.
I would suggest having at least two telephone numbers. One, hold it “Kind“ of public, use it for Socials or similar services & “Kind“ of Available on OSINT engines whilst, use another telephone number “ ONLY “ for personal services like Banks, Doctors, Families or any alike one. Then, it’s all about your needs & how many numbers you may need, but generally, with two or more numbers, you are no longer easy prey.
Many may say, “I don’t want another phone!” or “It may be costly.” & no & nope!
The Options on the Market are countless, & often, all come with a low price, but services & commodities match the buzz.
A few options that work nearly Globally are below.
Each Country has different laws regarding telephone numbers & SIM cards. Yet, anonymous VOIP or eSIM services are available worldwide, often bypassing local regulations. Keep in mind that misuse of these services can lead to prosecution.
E-Mail Addresses
Do you know how to protect it?
Are you using 1 E-Mail Address for all? Have you ever heard about email masking or forwarding services?
I often suggest privacy-focused services like “ Apple — Hide My Email”, “MySudo“, “ Firefox Private Relay “, “Addy.io“, “ Simple Login “, “ Cock.li “, or others. However, each has pros & cons; some are free, while others are not.
Generally, I suggest using these services & never giving anyone your actual email address. Consistently use forwarding services, & protect them adequately. Try to avoid giving away the real one, as emails are easy to hack for some characteristics. Also, if you use a single email address for many different websites, it would be easy for any OSINT or IT lovers to rebuild your online presence & thus efficiently execute attacks of any kind.
In this case, there is no need for extra-legal research as long the service is available in your Country. You can start shielding your virtual assets. Moreover, concealing your email address can be perfect in case of service cyber attacks or data leaks.
Two words about it
Imagine you signed up with one email for all your accounts, from Facebook, Instagram up to your Bank accounts. In case of any data leaks, they will have one email to be linked to all the other accounts easily, which could be pricey…On the other hand, if you have adequately concealed your email address & other data, even in case of data leaks, anyone who gets it would get only a bunch of camouflaged data, not your real one.
Usernames
How safe are they?
Often, many Socials, Forums, & websites offer the option to create a Username, & yes, I recommend changing it each for Apps or Websites as countless Apps & websites can easily track you online.
In case you want to see some tools on how to track Usernames or similar ones, Follow the links below:
- https://start.me/p/ME7aRA/oosint
- https://start.me/p/Pwy0X4/osint-inception
- https://start.me/p/DPYPMz/the-ultimate-osint-collection
Here again, there are no legal implications for using or concealing usernames. Moreover, I warmly advise altering it each website & may seek support for Password Manager or similar services but choose wisely.
Full Name & Surname
Who should really know it?
This is your business card, but here, you should choose carefully who should have your full name. Your full name can be a crucial info in the wrong hands. Despite the countless people who may have your name worldwide for some aspects or needs, I often pick to shield mine from public eyes, even if I admit I occasionally had to do so for work. Still, I create aliases for my social accounts & never use the same username for different websites, as can be easily spotted by expert OSINT or alikes’ eyes.
It is true that there are countless individuals with our name who may share homonyms, however, it is important to be cautious about sharing sensitive information online as you never know who may have access to it.
Needs from individual to individual may vary; thus, often, some don’t even bother with it. Use aliases for social or linked accounts, & think twice before releasing your full name to anyone you may not know or trust.
In this case, we won’t need any Apps or Websites to do so, but still, we have countless options online, from name generator to person or ID generator freely available, often within a wide variety of choices.
Again, there are no actual laws or legislation as long as you are not dealing with a business; thus, it is better to gather a few more country-related info before applying any advice as I am not an attorney or Law Specialist.
Just following a few handy websites.
A few words about Password Managers
I do not entrust leaving all my data in the cloud, but occasionally, we may do so for diverse needs, & we may ought support as we can’t remember everything. At the same time, we must choose wisely whom to leave our passwords or core info to as technology advances & cyber threats increase.
In this case, when someone is looking for good protection & a few recorded cyber attacks, I opt for Apple, which, even if there are several data leaks, still offers good security but is limited to their devices. Thus, the Avira password manager could be a fine choice, as no data leaks have been recorded up to 2021 & still i could not find any related info. Please get in touch with me for errors. As an Antivirus company, only a few wrongdoers want to test their tools on top.
Another good password manager with some extra tools that have not registered any data breach yet is Bitwarden, a robust, clean password manager in the market for a while.
Here’s their links
As we all witnessed, our personal information, such as name & address, or so, can be precious if it falls into the wrong hands. On the other hand, having this ken can also help you take steps to protect your privacy. However, please be aware that this information does not constitute legal advice & should be treated as such. Additionally, laws & regulations may differ from Country to Country, so it is essential to research thus, understand the implications of your actions before taking any further steps.
In case you want to know more about it, check my works or some work-in-progress projects @ >>>>> https://start.me/p/ME7aRA/oosint.
Please note that the following are just a few online tools & techniques. Whether you are a newbie or a pro, these tools can be valuable for your projects. Before applying any hints or techniques, always double-check your Country’s legislation, as it may vary widely from place to place. Additionally, you can use proxies and VPNs to make your project easier.
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Thanks 4 your time!
Take care, stay safe, & I’ll post you soon!
SnoopGhost
OSINT passionate ….Offensive & Defensive…..
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