OSINT Data Collection Tools and Techniques 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which Shodan filter syntax is used to search for devices running a specific operating system?
- os:"Windows" (Correct answer)
- system:"Windows"
- platform:"Windows"
- env:"Windows"
Correct answer: os:"Windows"
Shodan uses the 'os:' filter to search for devices running a specific operating system.
Question 2: What does the acronym WHOIS stand for in the context of domain intelligence gathering?
- It is not an acronym — it is a query protocol asking 'who is' responsible for a domain (Correct answer)
- Web Host Open Information System
- Worldwide Host Online Indexing Service
- Wide Host Object Identification Schema
Correct answer: It is not an acronym — it is a query protocol asking 'who is' responsible for a domain
WHOIS is a query-and-response protocol whose name literally means 'who is' responsible for the queried resource.
Question 3: An OSINT analyst wants to enumerate subdomains of a target without sending any packets to the target. Which technique best fits this goal?
- Passive DNS replication via third-party databases (Correct answer)
- Active DNS zone transfer request
- Sending ICMP probes to potential subdomains
- Port scanning the target's IP range
Correct answer: Passive DNS replication via third-party databases
Passive DNS replication queries historical DNS databases held by third parties, generating no traffic toward the target.
Question 4: Which Python library is most commonly used for scraping and parsing HTML content in OSINT scripts?
- BeautifulSoup (Correct answer)
- NumPy
- Pandas
- Scapy
Correct answer: BeautifulSoup
BeautifulSoup is the standard Python library for parsing HTML and XML documents in web-scraping workflows.
Question 5: In Maltego, what is a 'Transform'?
- An automated query that converts one entity type into related entities (Correct answer)
- A visual layout algorithm for the graph
- An encryption method for protecting collected data
- A filter that removes duplicate nodes
Correct answer: An automated query that converts one entity type into related entities
A Transform in Maltego is an automated query that takes an input entity and returns related entities from external data sources.
Question 6: What is 'Google dorking' used for in OSINT data collection?
- Using advanced search operators to find specific sensitive information indexed by Google (Correct answer)
- Exploiting a vulnerability in Google's login system
- Automating Google Ads account creation
- Bypassing Google's reCAPTCHA for bulk queries
Correct answer: Using advanced search operators to find specific sensitive information indexed by Google
Google dorking uses advanced operators like 'filetype:', 'site:', and 'intitle:' to surface sensitive or specific information in search results.
Question 7: Which tool is specifically designed for harvesting email addresses and social media profiles from public sources?
- theHarvester (Correct answer)
- Nmap
- Wireshark
- Burp Suite
Correct answer: theHarvester
theHarvester is an OSINT tool that aggregates emails, subdomains, and social media names from search engines and public sources.
OSINT Data Collection Tools and Techniques 2
Which Shodan filter syntax is used to search for devices running a specific operating system?