# OSINT fundamentals

Source: https://otinstaller.com/guides/osintverse-community/osint-fundamentals/index (page 1 of 5 of osintverse-community/osint-fundamentals)

Open-source intelligence (OSINT) is answering a question from information anyone can lawfully get to: public
websites, records, archives, images and the metadata they carry. The tools in the registry make the collecting fast.
What makes a finding hold up is the method around them, and that is what this guide is about. Read it before the
investigation playbooks; each of them assumes it.

**You will learn:**

1. [The method](https://otinstaller.com/guides/osintverse-community/osint-fundamentals/01-method.md): scope, collect, pivot, verify, record and report.
2. [Opsec for the investigator](https://otinstaller.com/guides/osintverse-community/osint-fundamentals/02-opsec.md): what your own requests reveal and how to keep your work separate.
3. [Legal and ethical basics](https://otinstaller.com/guides/osintverse-community/osint-fundamentals/03-legal-and-ethics.md): purpose, personal data, and where to stop.
4. [Recording and reporting](https://otinstaller.com/guides/osintverse-community/osint-fundamentals/04-record-and-report.md): a findings log someone else can check.

**Then pick a playbook** for what you have:

| You have | Playbook |
| --- | --- |
| A username | [Username investigation](https://otinstaller.com/guides/osintverse-community/username-investigation) |
| An email address | [Email investigation](https://otinstaller.com/guides/osintverse-community/email-investigation) |
| A phone number | [Phone number investigation](https://otinstaller.com/guides/osintverse-community/phone-investigation) |
| A social media profile | [Social media profiles](https://otinstaller.com/guides/osintverse-community/social-media-profiles) |
| A domain | [Domain investigation](https://otinstaller.com/guides/osintverse-community/domain-investigation) |
| An IP address | [IP address investigation](https://otinstaller.com/guides/osintverse-community/ip-investigation) |
| A photo | [Image verification and geolocation](https://otinstaller.com/guides/osintverse-community/image-geolocation) |
| A crypto address | [Cryptocurrency address tracing](https://otinstaller.com/guides/osintverse-community/crypto-address-tracing) |

> [!NOTE]
> This guide is general information, not legal advice. When your case raises a legal question, ask someone qualified
> where you work before you collect.

Next: https://otinstaller.com/guides/osintverse-community/osint-fundamentals/01-method.md