The Ultimate OSINT Checklist: How I Find Anyone or Any Company Step-by-Step 🕵️‍♂️

If you’ve ever been curious about how hackers, journalists, or security pros gather info online without touching a single private server, welcome to the world of OSINT — Open Source Intelligence. 🌐✨ Today, I’m giving you my **step-by-step OSINT checklist** for finding info on a person or company.

Not just random tools, but a full methodology that’s structured, safe, and actionable. This is the blueprint I’d use if I wanted to map out someone or a business ethically. 🕵️‍♂️ Before we start, remember ⚠️: OSINT is powerful. Always stay ethical 👾. Use this for research, verification, or security audits. Never stalk, harass, or misuse info. Got it? Cool, let’s go. 🔥

📚 What You’ll Learn

• Step-by-step framework for OSINT investigations
• Free and effective tools for people & company research
• How to organize info systematically
• Tips to stay ethical and legal while gathering intelligence
• Extra hacks and resources to level up your OSINT game

🔥 My OSINT Checklist: Step-by-Step

1️⃣ Start With The Basics

• Google Search 🔎 – Use quotes, site-specific searches, filetype filters: “John Doe” site:linkedin.com
  
  
  
  
• Social Media Scan 📱 – LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter/X
• Email Discovery ✉️ – Check formats with Hunter.io or Verify Email
• Phone & Domain Lookup 📞 – Use Who.is to gather domain info for companies

2️⃣ Deep Dive Into Public Records

• Business & Company Info 💼 – Use government databases (SEC filings, Companies House, Ministry registries)
• Professional Records & Certifications 🏢 – LinkedIn, GitHub, StackOverflow, etc.
  
  
• People Search Engines 🌎 – Use global-friendly options like Pipl or PeekYou

3️⃣ Analyze Digital Footprints

• Check social media history – past posts, media uploads, comments
• Look for cross-platform patterns – usernames, emails, phone numbers
  
  
  
  
  
• Reverse image search 📸 – Google Images & TinEye to verify photos

4️⃣ Technical OSINT Tools

• Shodan & Censys 🌐 – Scan for company servers, exposed devices
• Maltego 🕸️ – Visualize relationships between people, domains, and emails
• Wayback Machine ⏳ – archive.org to see historical website snapshots
  
  
• DNS & IP Lookup 🌍 – Tools like ViewDNS to map domains & servers

5️⃣ Organize Your Findings

• Use spreadsheets or Notion 📊 to log names, emails, domains, and sources
• Track your sources – always note URLs and capture dates
• Color-code priority & reliability for quick reference

6️⃣ Cross-Check & Verify

• Double-check info across multiple sources 🔎
• Look for inconsistencies or outdated info
• Validate company info with official registries or social proof

💡 Extra OSINT Hacks

• Use advanced Google dorks: site:twitter.com "John Doe" OR "johndoe@example.com"
• Track email leaks on Have I Been Pwned
• Visualize social media connections with tools like Gephi
• Use VPNs or proxies to safely access geo-blocked data 🌎

👍 Final Thoughts

OSINT isn’t about hacking—it’s about **smart, ethical information gathering**. With this checklist, you have a methodology rather than random tools. Follow it, stay organized, cross-check your info, and always stay ethical. Use this for security research, fact-checking, or legit investigative purposes. If you found this guide useful, comment your favorite OSINT tool below, share it with friends, and check out my other tech tutorials for ethical hacking & research hacks. 🚀

Stay Ethical 👾