Passive collection
Definition
OSINT collection that queries third-party databases and archived sources without sending any traffic directly to the target's systems, avoiding any trace on the target's server logs.
Related terms
- Digital footprint
- The cumulative set of data traces a person or entity leaves across internet-accessible sources, including domain registrations, social media posts, forum accounts,...
- Metadata
- Data about data. In document forensics, metadata includes file-creation timestamps, last-modified dates, author fields, revision history, and embedded GPS coordinates in images....
- OSINT
- Open-Source Intelligence. Investigation using publicly available sources: social media, satellite imagery, news archives, public databases. In deepfake casework, OSINT corroborates or contradicts...
- Sock puppet
- A fictitious online identity created and controlled by an investigator to observe or interact with a target without revealing the investigation. The...
- WHOIS
- A query protocol that returns registration data for a domain, including registrant name, organisation, email, nameservers, and registration and expiry dates. Since...
Explained in
- Web OSINT and Digital Footprint AnalysisOSINT collection that queries third-party databases and archived sources without sending any traffic directly to the target's systems, avoiding any trace on th...