CALIBREXOSINT ACADEMY
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OSINT Foundations

Learn to research the open web like a professional: plan a question, find and test sources, preserve evidence and brief with honest confidence.

  • 6 modules
  • 18 lessons & labs
  • 4 hours of study
  • 70% to pass
  • Certificate OSINT Foundations

OSINT Foundations is the first course of the Calibrex pathway. It teaches the habits that every serious open-source analyst relies on: turning a vague request into a clear question, searching with precision, judging whether a source deserves trust, understanding what files and accounts reveal, preserving what you find so that it survives scrutiny, and writing a short report that says what is known, how you know it and how confident you are.

You learn by doing. Every module ends with a hands-on lab built on realistic simulated exhibits, and the course closes with a practical case file in which you grade the sources, test the findings and state your confidence. All people, companies and incidents are fictional, so you can practise the full method without touching anyone’s real life.

You will be able to

  • Explain what open-source intelligence is, where it is used, and what it cannot do
  • Turn a request into a focused key question and a lawful, proportionate research plan
  • Build precise search queries and use official websites and web archives to reach primary sources
  • Grade a source as rely, corroborate or reject, and trace a claim back to its origin
  • Read file metadata and recognise digital footprints, while respecting privacy and the law
  • Capture web evidence with full URLs, time zones and research notes that another analyst can check
  • Write a short, sourced intelligence report with a clear confidence level and stated gaps

Syllabus

MODULE 1

Introduction to OSINT

What open-source intelligence is, how the intelligence cycle turns questions into answers, and where the method reaches its limits.

  1. LESSON 1.1What OSINT is, and what it is forThe working definition of open-source intelligence, the line between open and closed information, and how professionals across India use it.9 min
  2. LESSON 1.2The intelligence cycle and its limitsHow the five stages of Plan, Collect, Verify, Analyse and Brief turn a question into a decision-ready answer, and the limits every honest analyst declares.10 min
  3. LAB 1.3Lab: From request to research planTurn an over-broad request from a manager into a focused, lawful research plan, using the messages and draft plan on file.11 min
MODULE 2

Digital Research Fundamentals

How search engines work, how to build precise queries with operators, and how to reach official sources and web archives.

  1. LESSON 2.1Searching with precisionWhy two people get different search results, how to build a query one step at a time, and which operators narrow or widen what you find.10 min
  2. LESSON 2.2Official sources, URLs and web archivesWork out who would hold the record you need, read a web address correctly, judge a website, and use web archives to see what a page used to say.10 min
  3. LAB 2.3Lab: Finding the primary noticeA viral post claims a five-day water shutdown. Use search results, URLs and archive captures to find the official notice and what it really says.12 min
MODULE 3

Source Evaluation

How to judge a source’s credibility and provenance, separate original reporting from repetition, and recognise bias in sources and in yourself.

  1. LESSON 3.1Credibility and provenanceFour questions for any source, the difference between judging a source and judging a claim, and the three grades Calibrex analysts use.10 min
  2. LESSON 3.2Original reporting, repetition and biasTell original reporting from repetition, trace a claim to its origin, test whether sources are independent, and recognise bias in sources and in yourself.10 min
  3. LAB 3.3Lab: One claim, five sourcesA food-safety scare is spreading. Grade five sources, trace the most alarming claim to its origin and decide what can actually be said.12 min
MODULE 4

Digital Footprints & Privacy

What metadata and online accounts reveal, the legal and ethical limits on using it, and how to research without exposing yourself or harming others.

  1. LESSON 4.1Metadata: what files say about themselvesRead photo and document metadata, understand why it is often missing, and use it to test claims without treating it as proof.10 min
  2. LESSON 4.2Footprints, privacy and responsible researchHow people and organisations leave digital footprints, the legal and ethical limits on using them, and how to keep your own research from exposing you.11 min
  3. LAB 4.3Lab: What the files give awayA tipster sends a “leaked memo” and a photo about a factory closure. Read their metadata, decide what it shows, and handle the material responsibly.12 min
MODULE 5

Evidence Collection

How to capture web pages and posts with full URLs, exact times and context, and keep research notes and an evidence log that another analyst can check.

  1. LESSON 5.1Capturing web evidenceWhat a useful capture contains, how to record the right URL and an exact time with its time zone, and how to preserve a page before it changes.10 min
  2. LESSON 5.2Research notes and the evidence logKeep notes that separate what you saw from what you think, maintain a simple evidence log, and name and store files so that your work can be checked.10 min
  3. LAB 5.3Lab: Preserving a changing postA post about a damaged flyover is edited and then deleted. Fix its timing, document the change, and correct a colleague’s flawed evidence log entry.12 min
MODULE 6

Your First Investigation

Turn graded evidence into tested findings and a confidence level, and write a short, sourced intelligence report.

  1. LESSON 6.1From evidence to judgementTest each finding against graded evidence, decide whether it is supported, unsupported or contradicted, and state a confidence level you can defend.10 min
  2. LESSON 6.2Writing the mini intelligence reportStructure a short report so that a busy reader gets the answer first, can see the evidence behind each finding, and understands the confidence and gaps.10 min
  3. LAB 6.3Lab: Your first mini investigationWork a small case end to end: grade six sources about a school building, test the claims, set your confidence and assemble the report.14 min
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