OSINT in the Cloud: Techniques for Gathering Intelligence on Cloud Storage Services

Disclaimer: This is for educational purposes only.

Open-source intelligence, commonly known as OSINT, plays a vital role in modern cybersecurity and information gathering. As businesses and individuals increasingly use cloud storage services, conducting OSINT on cloud resources has become invaluable for understanding potential vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and accessible data in the cloud landscape. However, OSINT on cloud storage services is as much an art as it is a science, demanding a blend of technical knowledge, ethical awareness, and strategic thinking.

This article explores methods to collect OSINT on popular cloud storage platforms like Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, and Azure Blob Storage. From identifying patterns and uncovering public buckets to examining metadata and tracking accidental exposures, we’ll delve into practical techniques with examples to provide a thorough yet accessible guide for anyone looking to conduct OSINT responsibly and effectively.

Understanding Cloud Storage Infrastructure

Cloud storage services offer flexible, scalable storage, and each service has a unique structure for organizing and sharing data. In Amazon S3, for example, data is organized into “buckets,” containers where files (or “objects”) are stored. Each file has a URL structure like https://bucketname.s3.amazonaws.com/filename. Google Cloud Storage and Azure Blob Storage follow similar organization patterns, each with distinct URL structures and naming conventions that can aid in OSINT.

Often, organizations misconfigure cloud storage, resulting in accidentally public buckets or files that anyone with a URL can access. OSINT specialists can identify these exposed buckets or files and gather valuable insights. It’s essential, however, to use only publicly....