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Introduction:
Open‑Source Intelligence (OSINT) has long been hampered by a fragmented landscape of tools that require complex dependency chains, multiple API keys, and cumbersome environment setups. The newly released Phoenix Eyes platform tackles this friction head‑on by offering a self‑hosted, zero‑authentication web interface that aggregates seven live global data feeds into a single tactical dashboard. Designed for rapid deployment in security operations, threat research, and geopolitical monitoring, it strips away the traditional barriers to entry for live SIGINT, GEOINT, and satellite data.
Learning Objectives:
- Deploy a fully functional OSINT dashboard in under one minute without installing dependencies or obtaining API keys.
- Understand the architecture of Phoenix Eyes and how it ingests real‑time data from satellite, aircraft, maritime, and radio frequency sources.
- Implement basic security hardening for self‑hosted intelligence platforms to protect sensitive query data.
You Should Know:
1. One‑Minute Deployment: Linux & Windows Commands
The defining feature of Phoenix Eyes is its absence of environment variables, package managers, or key registration. The entire platform runs inside a single Docker container, making deployment trivial.
Step‑by‑step guide:
- Linux / macOS
Ensure Docker is installed (`docker –version`). Then run:
git clone https://github.com/RisingCyber/phoenix-eyes.git cd phoenix-eyes docker compose up -d
The service will be available at `http://localhost:8080`. The `-d` flag runs it detached; use `docker compose logs -f` to monitor the initial feed aggregation.
- Windows (Docker Desktop)
After installing Docker Desktop, open PowerShell or Command
git clone https://github.com/RisingCyber/phoenix-eyes.git cd phoenix-eyes docker compose up -d
Access the dashboard via `http://localhost:8080`. Docker for Windows automatically handles port mapping.
- No‑Docker Alternative
The repository also provides a standalone binary for Linux. Download the latest release and execute:./phoenix-eyes
The binary listens on port 8080 by default. No compilation or runtime dependencies are required.
2. Understanding the Seven Feeds
Phoenix Eyes aggregates data from publicly accessible sources without requiring user‑side authentication. The feeds cover multiple intelligence disciplines:
- ADS‑B Exchange: Real‑time aircraft positions, altitude, speed, and squawk codes (SIGINT / aviation).
- MarineTraffic (AIS): Live vessel tracking including MMSI, IMO numbers, and maritime routes.
- Satellite Overpass Predictions: Next‑pass times for LEO satellites (Starlink, ISS, etc.) based on observer location.
- Radio Reference: Live trunked radio and public safety frequency metadata.
- OpenStreetMap: Basemap layers with real‑time incident markers where available.
- GNSS Jamming Detection: Aggregates data from crowdsourced GPS interference reports.
- Live Weather Radar: Overlays precipitation and storm cell movement.
Each feed is updated on a configurable interval (default 30–60 seconds). The web interface uses WebSockets to push updates to connected clients without requiring manual page refreshes.
3. Security Considerations for Zero‑Authentication Tools
While the “no API keys” feature simplifies deployment, self‑hosting an unauthenticated web service introduces risks. Sensitive query data (e.g., tracking a specific aircraft or vessel) could be exposed to anyone who reaches the dashboard.
Step‑by‑step guide to harden the instance:
- Add a reverse proxy with basic authentication
Use Nginx or Caddy to add HTTP Basic Auth. Example with Caddy:osint.yourdomain.com { basicauth / { user $2a$14$... } reverse_proxy localhost:8080 } - Restrict access by IP
If using Docker, modify the compose file to bind only to localhost (127.0.0.1:8080:8080) and use SSH port forwarding to access remotely:ssh -L 8080:localhost:8080 user@your-server
- Run in a dedicated VLAN
For enterprise environments, isolate the container network from production assets to prevent lateral movement in case of compromise.
4. Customizing Data Sources & Adding Your Own
Although Phoenix Eyes ships with seven preconfigured feeds, it is built on a modular architecture that allows users to add custom data sources without modifying the core code.
Step‑by‑step guide:
- Add a custom HTTP endpoint
Locate `config/sources.yml` after deployment. Append a new source:
- name: "Local Threat Feed" url: "http://internal-api/incidents" interval: 120 type: "json" mapping: lat: "latitude" lon: "longitude" label: "title"
– Add a WebSocket stream
For real‑time data like Twitter geolocation or custom sensor networks, edit the source configuration to use type: "websocket".
– Restart the container
`docker compose restart` to apply changes. The dashboard will display the new overlay automatically.
5. Operational Use Cases & Tactical Integration
Phoenix Eyes is positioned as a tactical interface, meaning it is designed for rapid situational awareness rather than deep archival analysis.
- Incident response: Quickly check for aircraft or vessels near a compromised site.
- Physical security: Monitor jamming reports during high‑risk events to anticipate communication outages.
- Training & education: Demonstrate OSINT concepts without requiring trainees to register for multiple paid API services.
Because the platform lacks authentication, it is ideal for air‑gapped labs or training environments where speed of deployment trumps multi‑user access controls.
6. Troubleshooting Common Deployment Issues
Even with a “zero‑dependency” claim, subtle issues can arise.
- Port already in use
Change the host port in `docker‑compose.yml`:
ports: - "8090:8080"
– Docker permission denied
Add your user to the `docker` group (sudo usermod -aG docker $USER) and log out/in.
– Feeds not loading
Check network connectivity to external APIs. Some sources may be geo‑restricted. Use `docker compose logs` to see HTTP error codes.
– Memory usage
The container typically consumes 200–400 MB. If low‑memory systems struggle, reduce the number of active feeds in the configuration file.
7. Extending with Additional OSINT Tooling
For analysts who require deeper investigation, Phoenix Eyes can serve as a live data front‑end while feeding captured data into more traditional OSINT tools.
- Integrate with Maltego: Export geolocated data via the built‑in JSON API endpoint (
/api/export) and import using Maltego’s JSON transform. - Log to Elasticsearch: Modify the Docker setup to pipe logs to Logstash for long‑term retention and correlation with other security data.
- Automated alerts: Use the WebSocket stream with a custom script to trigger alerts when specific aircraft or vessels enter a defined geofence.
What Undercode Say:
- Phoenix Eyes eliminates the friction of API key management and dependency hell, making live OSINT accessible to entry‑level analysts and rapid response teams.
- Its zero‑authentication design, while convenient for labs, demands immediate hardening in production environments to prevent unintentional data exposure.
- The modular source configuration proves that simplicity does not preclude extensibility—a well‑designed YAML structure allows users to integrate private or niche data feeds without touching Go code.
Prediction:
As OSINT tools continue to evolve, we will see a bifurcation: highly complex, modular frameworks for deep‑dive analysis and “appliance‑like” platforms like Phoenix Eyes that prioritize time‑to‑insight. The latter will gain traction in security operations centers (SOCs) and tactical units where speed of deployment and low training overhead are critical. However, the lack of built‑in access controls may spark a new trend in “self‑hardening” open‑source projects—where installation scripts automatically prompt for authentication setup.
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