# OSINT & RECON ## What is OSINT Open-source intelligence (OSINT) is a multi-factor (qualitative and quantitative) approach for gathering, evaluating, and making judgments on data available in publicly available sources for use in intelligence.\ OSINT does not require to hack into systems or use private credentials to access data. Viewing someone’s public profile on social media is OSINT, but using their login details is not. This reconnaissance phase is vital for an engagement as it provides information that will be used to exploit targets or gain access to data. > “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself, but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” (Art of war, Sun Tzu) ## References {% embed url="" %} --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://www.breaching-defenses.com/osint-and-recon.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.