OSINT For ICS/OT Cybersecurity: Tools And Techniques For Effective Reconnaissance

The OSINT for ICS/OT (& IT) Cybersecurity course by Mike Holcomb provides critical insights into identifying vulnerabilities in Industrial Control Systems (ICS) and Operational Technology (OT) environments using Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT). This hands-on training covers reconnaissance techniques essential for cybersecurity professionals.

Key Topics Covered:

Social Media & User Enumeration – Extracting employee and system details from public profiles.
Domain Names, IPs, and ASNs – Mapping organizational infrastructure.
Specialized ICS/OT Search Engines – Tools like Shodan, Censys, and ONYPHE for exposed devices.
OSINT Reporting Best Practices – Structuring findings for actionable intelligence.

You Should Know: Practical OSINT Commands & Tools

1. Social Media & User Enumeration

theHarvester – Gather emails, subdomains, and names:
```
theHarvester -d example.com -b google,linkedin 
```
Sherlock – Find usernames across platforms:
```
python3 sherlock username 
```

2. Domain & IP Investigation

Whois Lookup – Retrieve domain ownership details:
```
whois example.com 
```
Dig for DNS Records – Extract subdomains:
```
dig example.com ANY 
```

3. ICS/OT-Focused Search Engines

Shodan CLI – Find exposed ICS devices:
```
shodan search "port:502" 
```

Censys Query – Locate industrial systems:

censys search "services.service_name:MODBUS"

4. Network Mapping with Nmap

Scan for OT protocols (Modbus, S7comm):

nmap -p 502,102 --script modbus-discover.nse <target>

5. Automating OSINT with SpiderFoot

Run a comprehensive scan:
```
python3 sf.py -s example.com -m all 
```

What Undercode Say

OSINT is a powerful weapon in cybersecurity, especially for ICS/OT environments where exposed devices can lead to catastrophic breaches. Mastering tools like Shodan, Nmap, and theHarvester enhances threat detection. Always:
– Verify findings before acting.
– Use proxies/VPNs to avoid detection.
– Document everything for compliance (IEC 62443, NIST).

Expected Output:

Starting Nmap 7.92 ( https://nmap.org ) 
Nmap scan report for industrial-control.example.com (192.168.1.100) 
PORT STATE SERVICE 
502/tcp open modbus

For further learning:

References:

Reported By: Martinkifack Ics – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅

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