ASSESSMENT OF USER SECURITY BASED ON OSINT METHODS IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION NETWORKS

Topicality. In the modern information society, open data access plays a critical role in decision-making in areas such as security, business, and analytics. One of the most promising approaches is Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), which enables the collection, processing, and use of publicly available information from the Internet, media, and social networks. The growing volume of digital data creates both opportunities and challenges for ensuring user privacy and security. The subject of study in the article is methods of collecting, analyzing, and verifying open information about users of information and communication networks using OSINT tools, with particular attention to the impact of privacy settings on the effectiveness of data gathering. The purpose of the article is to assess the security levels of users based on OSINT methods and to develop a web application for automated search and preliminary analysis of user data. The following results were obtained. Three categories of Telegram users (low, medium, and high privacy) were analyzed. A set of OSINT tools –WhatsMyName, Sherlock, Namecheckr, and others – was applied to identify accounts, track digital footprints, and verify metadata. Special attention was given to reverse image search and geolocation techniques for profile photo analysis. The developed application implements modules for username-based search, email verification, and combined analysis, which enhance the efficiency of OSINT investigations. Conclusion. The developed application can be applied in cybersecurity, law enforcement, and corporate security to improve digital safety strategies and user privacy practices.