The Briefing Room
Notes on tradecraft, opsec, and the intelligence lifecycle — every article, sorted by topic.
The Briefing Room is the article library for Mrs. OSINT, an OSINT education site. It covers OSINT basics, ethics, OPSEC, sock puppet research personas (the Digital Disguises series), and the intelligence lifecycle.
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Digital Disguises
Four volumes on building a sock puppet for passive research, from your first virtual machine to an aged persona.
Getting Started
For beginners figuring out where to start and what OSINT actually looks like day to day.
What Is OSINT?
A plain-language introduction to open-source intelligence and how it is used.
So, You Want to Get Into OSINT?
Where to begin if you are new to the field.
Getting Started in OSINT
A starting point for people new to open-source research.
OSINT 101: Essential Google Search Hacks to Start Your Journey
Search operators that get you better results from Google.
Where in the OSINT World Do You Belong?
The different roles in OSINT and where you might fit.
Not Another Tools List: Let's Talk OSINT Skills
The skills behind the tools, and why they matter more.
Soft Skills, Sharp Mind: What Makes a Digital Detective
The skills you really need for OSINT.
OPSEC & Tradecraft
Protecting your own footprint while you investigate someone else's.
OPSEC for Real Life (No Fiction, Just Facts)
Practical steps to protect your own footprint.
Digital Disguises, Vol. 1: A Beginner's Guide to Virtual Machines in OSINT
Setting up a virtual machine for OSINT work.
Digital Disguises, Vol. 2: Sock Puppets 101
The basics of sock puppets for research.
Digital Disguises, Vol. 3: Building the Persona
How to build a research persona from the ground up.
Digital Disguises, Vol. 4: Aging the Persona
How to age a research persona: the email, the first platform, and the patience it takes.
The Intelligence Lifecycle
A six-part breakdown of the framework behind every investigation.
The Intelligence Lifecycle Explained
The six-part framework behind every investigation.
The Intelligence Lifecycle: Phase 1 - Planning & Direction
Deciding what you need to find out and why.
The Intelligence Lifecycle: Phase 2 - Collection
Gathering the information you need.
The Intelligence Lifecyle: Phase 3 - Processing
Turning raw collection into something usable.
The Intelligence Lifecycle: Phase 4 - Analysis
Making sense of what you collected.
The Intelligence Lifecycle: Phase 5 - Dissemination
The final phase: getting your findings to the people who need them.
Ethics & Mindset
On staying grounded, thinking clearly, and knowing when to pump the brakes.
Should I Be Doing This? A Beginner's Guide to Ethics in OSINT
A beginner's guide to the ethics of OSINT work.
Don't Overthink Your OSINT Journey: Your Path Will Be Unique
Your path into OSINT will not look like anyone else's.
Nothing New? Look Again.
Pivoting: how to turn a dead end into a new lead.
The Lesson I Didn't Expect to Learn This Week.
A reflection from a week of teaching.
Misinformation & Disinformation
Stories and tradecraft on spotting what isn't real.
Chasing the Phantom Signal Vol. 1: Misinformation & Disinformation
Misinformation and disinformation, and how to tell them apart.
Smoke and Mirrors: How Phantom Signal Tried to Erase the Evidence
A case study in evidence that disappears, and why you preserve it.
Career & Reflections
Certifications, milestones, and looking back on the journey so far.
I Went Quiet. Here's Why.
Where I have been, and what is coming.
The Recap File.
A look back at the work so far.
The Unicorn, the OG, and the Academy
Open-Source Certified (OSC): Shaping the Future of OSINT Through Certification
Certification in OSINT and what it could mean for the field.