Research on Open Source Intelligence Engineering & Passive Reconnaissance
trace-osint investigates the engineering of tools for passive data collection and analysis from public version control platforms — primarily GitHub, GitLab, and their ecosystem.
This is independent research focused on:
- 🔍 Passive collection: Gathering metadata without authentication or direct interaction.
- 🧠 Intelligence engineering: Transforming public data into structured, actionable information.
- ⚖️ Ethical boundaries: Operating within clear limits — no doxxing, no surveillance, no harm.
The output is twofold: high-performance reconnaissance tools and the scientific insights derived from engineering them.
"Public data is not private intelligence."
Current investigations explore:
- How can passive reconnaissance tools be architected for maximum performance and minimal platform footprint?
- What patterns of developer behavior can be inferred from public commit metadata across platforms?
- How do rate limiting, authentication models, and API design differ between platforms — and how can tools adapt?
- What architectural patterns emerge when evolving a tool from prototype (Bash) to high-performance implementation (C++17)?
📘 Each repository contains a RESEARCH.md with its specific questions and methodology.
Status and roadmaps are maintained in the trace-osint GitHub Projects.
Each repository is the single source of truth for its tool:
- 📋 Core documentation and setup guides
- 🔍 Platform support matrix (badges)
- 🗂️ Issues and research discussions
- 🌐 Multi-language documentation (
README.pt.md,README.es.md, etc.)
| Project | Language | Core Function | Research Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
unauthscout |
Bash | Passive reconnaissance prototype | Rapid prototyping, proof-of-concept validation |
unauthscout-cpp |
C++17 | High-performance reconnaissance | Architectural evolution, OO design, performance benchmarking |
This research benefits from engagement with security researchers, software engineers, and academics.
| Resource | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Organization CONTRIBUTING.md | General guidelines for engaging with trace-osint |
| Repository CONTRIBUTING.md | Tool-specific collaboration workflows |
Issues with research tag |
Discussions around research questions |
Issues with good first issue tag |
Entry points for new contributors |
🌐 Multi-language: Key documentation is available in Portuguese, Spanish, and English — look for .pt.md, .es.md files alongside English versions.
These organizations explore complementary aspects of software engineering and automation:
| Organization | Focus |
|---|---|
| ws2git | Cross-platform Git automation and API portability — the infrastructure for interacting with platforms. |
| R3s7f | Multi-language HTTP clients for REST APIs — the foundation for reliable platform communication. |
Together, they form a broader investigation into resilient, cross-platform systems for data collection and automation.
Independent research, conducted alongside professional work. Updates are pragmatic, not performative. Contributions aligned with the research questions are welcome.
Code: GNU AGPL v3
Documentation: CC BY 4.0
The AGPL ensures that any network service using this code must also release its source — critical for ethical OSINT research.