Why Businesses Need to Conduct Regular open-source intelligence scans

If you don’t know what information is floating around the internet about your business, it’s time to do an open-source intelligence scan. You likely already know that protecting your company's data is mission-critical, but what many people don't realise, is that a lot of their sensitive data and information can be accessed simply by looking online; especially if you know where to look and what you're looking for. Are you unwittingly giving away access to crucial information that when all put together could result in a cyber-attack on your business, affecting you and your customers?

The most likely answer is Yes! However, by conducting an Open-Source Intelligence scan (OS INT), you can get to know what information is out there about your company and take steps to protect it.

Ensuring that your business is aware of what information and data are currently available to the outside world cannot be overstated, especially if you want to stop the probability of becoming the next victim of a cyber-attack

What is an open-source intelligence scan?

An OS INT scan is a process where publicly available company information is gathered and analysed. The scanning process trawls the web looking for any potential vulnerabilities relating to your company that could be exploited by hackers. This might include things like employee names and contact details, company financial information, or even details of your company's infrastructure, that you were completely unaware was available publicly.

The OS INT scan includes both technical vulnerabilities (such as weak passwords or unpatched software) and non-technical vulnerabilities (such as social engineering or phishing attacks).

A comprehensive OS INT scan should: • Identify what systems are publicly exposed and therefore vulnerable • Enumerate the attack surface of those vulnerable systems to determine what information is available • Map out how an attacker could move laterally through the network once they have a foothold and what could be at stake.

A completed OS INT scan will give you a clear picture of your organisation’s digital footprint and where its vulnerabilities lie.

Getting an open-source intelligence scan.

If you're not sure where to start, our OS INT scanning service can help. We'll conduct a comprehensive scan of the internet for any publicly available information about your company and provide you with a report detailing what we've found. After that, we will help you develop and implement policies specific to your identified vulnerabilities that will allow you to stay protected as the threat landscape evolves.

We are a cyber-security consultancy with a big difference – you can afford us. We are seasoned ethical 'white hat' hackers with extensive experience and expertise in working inside large security consultancies. We have a combined experience of over 20 years in the cyber-security industry and now focus on bringing all that knowledge to small businesses worldwide.

Don't wait for a cyber-attack to happen! Contact us today for more information on our cyber-security services.