Sock Puppet
A fake online identity created for investigative purposes — to access closed groups, interact with targets, or avoid revealing the investigator's real identity. Requires careful construction to be credible.
More in Core OSINT Concepts & Techniques
Passive Reconnaissance Active Reconnaissance Pivot Analysis Digital Footprint Attribution Operational Security (OPSEC) Deniable Infrastructure Collection Management Intelligence Cycle Indicator of Compromise (IOC) Link Analysis Pattern of Life Analysis Selectors Correlation Data Enrichment Target Development Threat Modeling