Individual skill
conducting-external-reconnaissance-with-osint
Conducts external reconnaissance using Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) techniques to map an organization's external attack surface without directly interacting with target systems. The tester gathers information from public sources including DNS records, certificate transparency logs, search engines, social media, code repositories, and data breach databases to build a comprehensive target profile. Activates for requests involving OSINT reconnaissance, external footprinting, attack surface mapping, or passive information gathering.
internal/tools/skills/data/penetration-testing/conducting-external-reconnaissance-with-osint/SKILL.md
Source commit d42f381ad34843e71a42658e5c57290c713e85af
What was checked
- Matches the observed repository HEAD
- Yes
- Scanner rules are current
- Yes
- Repository scan complete
- No
- Skill scan complete
- No
- Observed behavior
- Network or broad shell
- Last checked
- Nov 7, 2026
These are observations at the recorded commit, not a guarantee of safety. Review the source before running it.
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Repository context
- Repository stars (not skill ratings)
- 1,307
- Repository last updated
- Nov 5, 2026
- License
- Apache-2.0
Observed agent integration: No specific integration evidence. Standard SKILL.md installation does not imply verified compatibility.
- cybersecurity Repository topic
- security Repository topic
- bug-bounty Repository topic
- automation Repository topic
- autonomous-pentesting Repository topic
- ai-agent Repository topic
- ai-security Repository topic
- ethical-hacking Repository topic
- golang Repository topic
- penetration-testing Repository topic
- osint Declared skill tag
- reconnaissance Declared skill tag
- attack-surface Declared skill tag
- footprinting Declared skill tag
- passive-recon Declared skill tag
- data Derived category
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# Conducting External Reconnaissance with OSINT
## When to Use
- Performing the initial reconnaissance phase of a penetration test to gather intelligence before active scanning
- Mapping an organization's external attack surface to identify unknown or shadow IT assets
- Collecting employee information, email formats, and organizational structure for social engineering campaigns
- Identifying exposed credentials, leaked data, or sensitive documents published on the internet
- Scoping the breadth of an organization's digital footprint prior to a red team engagement
**Do not use** for stalking, harassment, or unauthorized surveillance of individuals. OSINT gathering must be conducted within the scope of an authorized engagement and comply with applicable privacy laws (GDPR, CCPA).
## Most Often Missed & How to Confirm
- **Cross-correlating subdomain sources** — running one tool (subfinder OR amass) misses assets. Combine passive sources, crt.sh/Censys certificate transparency, and historical data (Wayback, VirusTotal passive DNS); the long tail (`dev-`, `uat-`, `old-`, acquired-company domains via reverse WHOIS) is where the soft targets live.