🕵️ 1. What Exactly is Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)?
OSINT is the art of gathering actionable intelligence from publicly available information—without hacking, without breaking into anything. This is an investigation-based field where you analyze digital footprints, social behavior, and public records.
The role is to be a digital detective. You take scattered data points (like a single username or an email address) and map out a comprehensive profile of a person, company, or threat actor.
Daily Work Examples:
Social Media Profiling: Tracing an individual’s friends, habits, and patterns across different platforms.
Geolocation Analysis: Using photos, shadows, weather data, and landmarks to pinpoint the exact location and time an image was taken.
Fraud Detection: Identifying fake accounts, scam patterns, and associated digital infrastructure for banks or telecom companies.
Threat Actor Profiling: Analyzing cybercriminals’ forum posts, tools, and social media activity to understand their next moves (Threat Intelligence).
Metadata Extraction: Finding hidden information (like GPS coordinates or camera model) within images and videos using tools like ExifTool.
Industry Secret: OSINT is not hacking; it is intel gathering. Every major field—Cybersecurity, Law Enforcement, Journalism, and Corporate Investigations—depends heavily on OSINT to build context and verify facts.
2. The Earning Potential (Realistic Salary in PKR & USD)
While OSINT analyst pay may not match a Senior Penetration Tester, the demand is high and stable, as every company needs investigators for fraud and corporate risk.
| Experience Level | Typical Role | Monthly Salary (PKR) |
| Entry Level (0–2 years) | Research Analyst, OSINT Associate | 35,000 – 60,000 |
| Mid-Level (2–5 years) | Fraud Analyst, SOC Investigator, Jr. Threat Intel Analyst | 80,000 – 150,000 |
| Senior (5–8+ years) | Corporate Intelligence Lead, Senior Threat Analyst | 200,000 – 350,000 |
đź’° Remote & Freelance Income:
Remote Roles: Combining OSINT with Threat Intelligence creates a high-demand role internationally, often paying $1,500–$4,000 per month for remote work.
Freelance: Small projects involving people searches, scam investigations, or competitor research are profitable on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, often earning $20–$150 per project.
3. Where to Find OSINT Jobs in Pakistan
The job market is diverse, ranging from banking fraud departments to government agencies.
Local Hiring Sources:
Banks & Fintechs: They hire for dedicated Fraud Investigation teams (HBL, UBL, Meezan) to track financial crime and digital identity risk.
Telecoms: Need analysts for scam tracking and SIM verification security (Jazz, Zong, Telenor).
Security & Software Houses: Roles focused on Threat Intelligence (TI), where OSINT is the core skill (Rewterz, Trillium).
Government & Media: Agencies like FIA Cyber Crime or investigation desks at major news agencies rely heavily on OSINT.
Portfolio Requirements (Case Studies are King):
Employers value process documentation and real-world results over simple tool lists. Your portfolio must contain detailed, ethical case studies, such as:
Fake Profile Investigation: A step-by-step report showing how you de-anonymized a fake profile across social media.
Geolocation Challenge: A report detailing how you found the location of an image using SunCalc, satellite data, and street view (e.g., the “Pivots and Mountains” method).
Breach Data Research: A project demonstrating how you correlate leaked data from platforms like HaveIBeenPwned with active company accounts.
4. The Zero-to-Hero OSINT Roadmap (Skills & Resources)
OSINT requires patience, attention to detail, and a strong analytical mindset.
| Phase | Core Skill / Required Knowledge | Essential Resource & Practice |
| 1. Foundation | Search Operator Mastery (Google Dorking), Digital Footprinting, Ethics. | Udemy: OSINT and Threat Intelligence from basic (FREE). Google: Master all advanced search operators. |
| 2. Social & Geo | Social Media Investigation (SOCMINT), Geolocation Techniques, Metadata Extraction. | Bellingcat’s Online Investigation Toolkit (FREE): The gold standard for journalist-grade OSINT. Learn ExifTool and SunCalc. |
| 3. Tool Mastery | Visualization & Automation (Connecting data points). | Maltego CE (Community Edition) & YouTube: Maltego is key for visualizing complex connections. Search YouTube for “Maltego Beginner’s Guide” tutorials. |
| 4. Career Start | Threat Intelligence, Report Writing, Dark Web Monitoring basics. | Security Blue Team: Introduction to OSINT (FREE). Practice: Complete OSINT challenges on platforms like Trace Labs. |
Essential Tools List:
Visualization: Maltego CE (Community Edition)
Username Enumeration: Sherlock / Maigret (Python-based tools)
Image Analysis: ExifTool, Yandex Image Search (often better than Google for certain contexts).
Infrastructure Intel: Shodan, Censys (The search engines for the internet of things).
All-in-One: OSINT Framework (A categorized list of tools).
Conclusion
OSINT is a stable, recession-proof, and highly ethical career path. It is the perfect blend of technical research and analytical thinking. In a world full of digital noise, the ability to find truth and build reliable intelligence is a skill that will always be in demand in Pakistan’s growing economy.
Start practicing your Google Dorks and mapping out your first case study today!
