Performing AI-Driven OSINT Correlation

When to Use

• You have collected raw OSINT data from multiple tools and sources but need to identify connections, contradictions, and patterns across them.
• You need to build a unified intelligence profile for a target entity (person, organization, or infrastructure) from fragmented data.
• Traditional manual correlation is too slow or error-prone for the volume of data collected.
• You want confidence-scored assessments of identity linkage across platforms rather than simple keyword matching.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+ with requests, json, and csv libraries
• Sherlock installed (pip install sherlock-project)
• theHarvester installed (pip install theHarvester)
• SpiderFoot 4.0+ running on localhost:5001
• Access to an LLM API (OpenAI, Anthropic, or local model via Ollama)
• Optional: Maltego CE for graph visualization of correlation results
• Optional: API keys for Shodan, VirusTotal, HaveIBeenPwned, Hunter.io

Workflow

Legal & Ethical Requirements

• Obtain documented written authorization before any investigation
• Establish lawful basis for data processing (law enforcement, corporate policy, etc.)
• Define PII retention limits and data handling procedures
• Comply with local privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA, etc.)

Phase 1 — Multi-Source OSINT Collection

0. Create the working directory for all OSINT outputs:

   mkdir -p /tmp/osint
   

1. Enumerate usernames across platforms with Sherlock:

   sherlock "targetusername" --output /tmp/osint/sherlock-results.txt --csv
   

2. Harvest emails, subdomains, and hosts with theHarvester:

   theHarvester -d targetdomain.com -b all -f /tmp/osint/harvester-results.json
   

3. Run a SpiderFoot passive scan via REST API:

   curl -s http://localhost:5001/api/scan/start \
     -d "scanname=target-recon&scantarget=targetdomain.com&usecase=passive" \
     | jq '.scanid'
   

4. Export SpiderFoot results when scan completes:

   SCAN_ID="<scanid_from_step_3>"
   curl -s "http://localhost:5001/api/scan/${SCAN_ID}/results?type=all" \
     -o /tmp/osint/spiderfoot-results.json
   

5. Query breach databases for email exposure (example with HIBP API):

   curl -s -H "hibp-api-key: ${HIBP_KEY}" \
     -H "User-Agent: OSINT-Correlation-Skill" \
     "https://haveibeenpwned.com/api/v3/breachedaccount/target@example.com" \
     -o /tmp/osint/breach-results.json
   

Phase 2 — Data Normalization

6. Normalize all collected data into a common schema. Create a unified JSON structure that tags each finding with its source, timestamp, and data type:

   cat > /tmp/osint/normalize.py << 'EOF'
   import json, csv, sys, os
   from datetime import datetime
   
   findings = []
   
   # Normalize Sherlock CSV results
   sherlock_path = "/tmp/osint/sherlock-results.txt"
   if os.path.exists(sherlock_path):
       with open(sherlock_path) as f:
           for row in csv.DictReader(f):
               findings.append({
                   "source": "sherlock",
                   "type": "social_profile",
                   "platform": row.get("name", ""),
                   "url": row.get("url_user", ""),
                   "username": row.get("username", ""),
                   "status": row.get("status", ""),
                   "collected_at": datetime.utcnow().isoformat()
               })
   
   # Normalize theHarvester JSON results
   harvester_path = "/tmp/osint/harvester-results.json"
   if os.path.exists(harvester_path):
       with open(harvester_path) as f:
           data = json.load(f)
           for email in data.get("emails", []):
               findings.append({
                   "source": "theHarvester",
                   "type": "email",
                   "value": email,
                   "collected_at": datetime.utcnow().isoformat()
               })
           for host in data.get("hosts", []):
               findings.append({
                   "source": "theHarvester",
                   "type": "hostname",
                   "value": host,
                   "collected_at": datetime.utcnow().isoformat()
               })
   
   # Normalize SpiderFoot results
   sf_path = "/tmp/osint/spiderfoot-results.json"
   if os.path.exists(sf_path):
       with open(sf_path) as f:
           for item in json.load(f):
               findings.append({
                   "source": "spiderfoot",
                   "type": item.get("type", "unknown"),
                   "value": item.get("data", ""),
                   "module": item.get("module", ""),
                   "collected_at": datetime.utcnow().isoformat()
               })
   
   with open("/tmp/osint/normalized-findings.json", "w") as f:
       json.dump(findings, f, indent=2)
   
   print(f"Normalized {len(findings)} findings from {len(set(f['source'] for f in findings))} sources")
   EOF
   python3 /tmp/osint/normalize.py
   

Phase 3 — AI-Driven Correlation

7. Send normalized findings to an LLM for cross-source correlation analysis:

   cat > /tmp/osint/correlate.py << 'PYEOF'
   import json, os
   from openai import OpenAI  # or anthropic, ollama, etc.
   
   client = OpenAI(api_key=os.environ["OPENAI_API_KEY"])
   
   with open("/tmp/osint/normalized-findings.json") as f:
       findings = json.load(f)
   
   correlation_prompt = f"""You are an OSINT analyst. Analyze these findings collected
   from multiple sources and produce a correlation report.
   
   For each identity or entity you detect:
   1. List all linked accounts/profiles with the evidence connecting them.
   2. Assign a confidence score (0.0-1.0) for each linkage based on:
      - Exact username match across platforms (high)
      - Similar usernames with shared metadata (medium)
      - Same email in breach data and registration (high)
      - Co-occurring infrastructure (IP, domain) (medium)
      - Temporal correlation of account creation dates (low-medium)
   3. Identify contradictions or potential false positives.
   4. Flag high-risk exposures (breached credentials, PII leaks, infrastructure overlaps).
   5. Produce a structured JSON report.
   
   Raw findings:
   {json.dumps(findings[:500], indent=2)}
   """
   
   response = client.chat.completions.create(
       model="gpt-4o",
       messages=[
           {"role": "system", "content": "You are an expert OSINT analyst specializing in identity correlation and link analysis."},
           {"role": "user", "content": correlation_prompt}
       ],
       temperature=0.1,
       response_format={"type": "json_object"}
   )
   
   report = json.loads(response.choices[0].message.content)
   
   with open("/tmp/osint/correlation-report.json", "w") as f:
       json.dump(report, f, indent=2)
   
   print(json.dumps(report, indent=2))
   PYEOF
   python3 /tmp/osint/correlate.py
   

8. Perform entity resolution — deduplicate and merge related identities:

   cat > /tmp/osint/resolve.py << 'PYEOF'
   import json
   
   with open("/tmp/osint/correlation-report.json") as f:
       report = json.load(f)
   
   # Extract entities and build a link graph
   entities = report.get("entities", [])
   print(f"Identified {len(entities)} distinct entities")
   for entity in entities:
       name = entity.get("identifier", "unknown")
       confidence = entity.get("confidence", 0)
       links = entity.get("linked_accounts", [])
       risk = entity.get("risk_level", "unknown")
       print(f"  [{confidence:.0%}] {name} — {len(links)} linked accounts — risk: {risk}")
   PYEOF
   python3 /tmp/osint/resolve.py
   

Phase 4 — Reporting and Visualization

9. Generate a final intelligence profile in Markdown:

   cat > /tmp/osint/report.py << 'PYEOF'
   import json
   from datetime import datetime
   
   with open("/tmp/osint/correlation-report.json") as f:
       report = json.load(f)
   
   md = f"# OSINT Correlation Report\n\n"
   md += f"**Generated:** {datetime.utcnow().isoformat()}Z\n\n"
   md += "## Entity Profiles\n\n"
   
   for entity in report.get("entities", []):
       eid = entity.get("identifier", "Unknown")
       conf = entity.get("confidence", 0)
       md += f"### {eid} (Confidence: {conf:.0%})\n\n"
       md += "| Source | Platform | Evidence |\n|--------|----------|----------|\n"
       for link in entity.get("linked_accounts", []):
           md += f"| {link.get('source','')} | {link.get('platform','')} | {link.get('evidence','')} |\n"
       md += f"\n**Risk Level:** {entity.get('risk_level', 'N/A')}\n\n"
       for flag in entity.get("flags", []):
           md += f"- ⚠️ {flag}\n"
       md += "\n"
   
   with open("/tmp/osint/intelligence-profile.md", "w") as f:
       f.write(md)
   
   print("Report written to /tmp/osint/intelligence-profile.md")
   PYEOF
   python3 /tmp/osint/report.py
   

10. Optional — Import correlation graph into Maltego for visualization:

    # Export entities as Maltego-compatible CSV for manual import
    cat > /tmp/osint/maltego_export.py << 'PYEOF'
    import json, csv
    
    with open("/tmp/osint/correlation-report.json") as f:
        report = json.load(f)
    
    with open("/tmp/osint/maltego-import.csv", "w", newline="") as f:
        writer = csv.writer(f)
        writer.writerow(["Entity Type", "Value", "Linked To", "Link Label", "Confidence"])
        for entity in report.get("entities", []):
            for link in entity.get("linked_accounts", []):
                writer.writerow([
                    link.get("type", "Alias"),
                    link.get("value", ""),
                    entity.get("identifier", ""),
                    link.get("evidence", ""),
                    link.get("confidence", "")
                ])
    
    print("Maltego CSV exported to /tmp/osint/maltego-import.csv")
    PYEOF
    python3 /tmp/osint/maltego_export.py
    

Key Concepts

Concept	Description
Cross-Source Correlation	Matching identifiers (usernames, emails, IPs) across independent OSINT sources to establish entity linkage
Confidence Scoring	Assigning probabilistic confidence (0.0–1.0) to each linkage based on evidence strength and corroboration
Entity Resolution	Deduplicating and merging records that refer to the same real-world entity across fragmented datasets
False Positive Detection	Using AI reasoning to identify coincidental matches versus genuine identity links
Multi-Vector Intelligence	Combining findings from social media, DNS, breach data, and infrastructure into a single threat picture
Link Analysis	Graph-based examination of relationships between entities, accounts, and infrastructure

Tools & Systems

Tool	Role in Workflow
Sherlock	Username enumeration across 400+ social platforms
theHarvester	Email, subdomain, and host discovery from public sources
SpiderFoot	Automated OSINT collection across 200+ modules
Maltego	Graph-based visualization of entity relationships
LLM API (GPT-4, Claude, Ollama)	Cross-source reasoning, pattern detection, and confidence scoring
HaveIBeenPwned	Breach exposure and credential leak detection

Common Scenarios

• Threat Actor Attribution: Correlate a suspicious username found in a phishing campaign with social media profiles, domain registrations, and breach data to build an attribution profile.
• Attack Surface Mapping: Link discovered subdomains, emails, and employee social accounts to understand an organization's full external exposure.
• Insider Threat Investigation: Cross-reference an employee's known accounts with dark web marketplace activity and breach databases.
• Brand Impersonation Detection: Identify accounts across platforms mimicking a target brand by correlating registration patterns, naming conventions, and temporal signals.

Output Format

The final output is a structured JSON correlation report and a Markdown intelligence profile containing:

{
  "meta": {
    "target": "targetdomain.com",
    "sources_used": ["sherlock", "theHarvester", "spiderfoot", "hibp"],
    "total_findings": 247,
    "generated_at": "2025-01-15T14:30:00Z"
  },
  "entities": [
    {
      "identifier": "john.target",
      "confidence": 0.92,
      "linked_accounts": [
        {
          "source": "sherlock",
          "platform": "GitHub",
          "value": "john.target",
          "evidence": "Exact username match, bio references targetdomain.com",
          "confidence": 0.95
        }
      ],
      "risk_level": "high",
      "flags": [
        "Credentials exposed in 2 breaches (2022, 2023)",
        "Admin email for targetdomain.com found in public WHOIS"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "contradictions": [],
  "recommendations": []
}

Verification

• Confirm that each linked account has been independently verified against at least two sources before assigning confidence > 0.8.
• Cross-check AI-generated correlations manually for a random sample (10–20%) to validate accuracy.
• Verify that no false positives from common usernames (e.g., "admin", "test") inflated entity profiles.
• Ensure breach data timestamps are current and from reputable aggregators.
• Validate that the final report does not include stale or retracted OSINT data.