Instagram OSiNT

About this video

NetworkChuck demonstrates Osintgram, a Python command-line OSINT tool for gathering publicly available information about an Instagram account — explicitly not for hacking into accounts or stealing passwords, and he opens with a warning not to use it on anyone without permission. Working from Kali Linux (any Debian-based system, or Google Cloud Shell, works), he clones the tool, installs Python 3/pip and its requirements, and stresses using a dummy Instagram account rather than a real one, storing its credentials in config files (username.conf, pw.conf, settings.json). Pointing the tool at fellow creator David Bombal’s account, he lists its commands, downloads Bombal’s stories and profile picture into an output folder, pulls email addresses of accounts Bombal follows (surfacing, for example, a Cisco address he reads out), and uses the addresses command to extract locations from tagged photos — after Instagram throttling forces a coffee break and a switch to Google Cloud Shell with another account. He closes with a challenge: viewers should use OSINT skills to work out where he was on September 2, 2018 (not on his own Instagram), with a free bag of his coffee for the first correct comment.

Key takeaways

• Osintgram collects only publicly available Instagram data — stories, profile pictures, follower email addresses, and geolocations from tagged photos — it does not break into accounts.
• Setup requires a Debian-based Linux machine, Python 3.6+, the tool’s pip requirements, and a config folder holding the login files.
• Always run it from a throwaway/dummy Instagram account, never your main account, because the tool logs in with those credentials.
• Aggressive querying gets throttled by Instagram; the creator had to wait, switch accounts, and move to Google Cloud Shell to get the location command to complete.
• The ethical framing is explicit throughout: the information being public does not make intent irrelevant, so permission and purpose matter.

Episode details: published March 28, 2021 · 9:45 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are NetworkChuck’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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