OSINT (open source intelligence) automation is the process of using specialized tools and scripts to automatically gather and process vast amounts of publicly available information from sources like social media, websites, and public databases. By automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks, security intelligence teams can quickly collect, organize, and analyze open-source data, making it easier to spot security threats, understand trends, and make informed decisions without relying solely on manual research.
Automation saves time, boosts accuracy, and enables the handling of large volumes of public data for timely decision-making.
Define Clear Objectives: Start by pinpointing exactly what information you need, because vague data collection leads to information overload and wastes resources. Know your targets, data types, and end goals before building any automation.
Pick the Right Tools: Select automation solutions that match your goals and skillsets. Off-the-shelf tools like Liferaft are widely used, and scripting languages like Python (pairing with relevant libraries and APIs) open up powerful custom workflows. Also, use tools with strong integration and export capabilities, so insights automatically flow into dashboards or SIEMs (Security Information and Event Management systems).
Standardize Data Sources: Agree on which websites, social networks, public databases, and APIs your team will monitor, and automate the pulling and parsing of those feeds. Document your sources and refresh them regularly to avoid stale data.
Automate Verification and Enrichment: Use automation not just to collect, but also to cross-check and enrich findings. For example, automate comparison against threat feeds or known incident databases. Using tools that incorporate verified analyst alerts, such as Liferaft’s Global Awareness, helps to save time when validating a suspected threat.
Monitor and Alert in Real-Time: Set up triggers and notifications for high-priority findings, such as leaked credentials or emerging threats, using automation platforms that support email, SMS, or direct API integration.
Document and Repeat: Build repeatable and well-documented workflows. This ensures consistency, helps train new team members, and makes it easier to audit or adapt processes as tools and threats evolve.
Automating OSINT dramatically increases the volume and variety of data an organization can collect, but collecting information at scale introduces the significant risk of information overload. With millions of news articles, blog posts, and social media updates generated every day, the danger is both missing critical threats as much as it is burning out skilled analysts by making them wade through masses of irrelevant or duplicate data. Smart OSINT teams address this risk by designing workflows that include robust filtering, regular pipeline reviews, and clear prioritization criteria so only actionable or urgent signals reach human eyes.
One mid-size enterprise SOC was processing more than 4,000 daily alerts, with fewer than half being investigated in time due to overwhelming workload. This created genuine security risk as critical threats could easily be missed.
After implementing AI-powered SOC triage automation, the organization cut alert fatigue by over 70%, dramatically reducing the number of alerts reaching human analysts while improving detection of genuine threats. The automation handled initial triage, classification, and routine responses, freeing analysts to focus on complex investigations requiring human expertise.
As tools and data sources morph, review your processes each quarter. Drop automated sources that no longer yield value; add new feeds and test emerging tools. Automation in OSINT is a living process that grows with your needs and with the threats at bay.