Reddit is among the most popular social networks, with 50 million daily active users and over 130,000 active communities. This virtual community is loved by members for its diverse range of content, from news to memes to engaging with others who share similar interests.
But Reddit is more than just an entertainment hub. It also provides valuable intel for security teams seeking to identify internal and external threats. Reddit can provide valuable real-time insight into personal threats aimed at executives or employees, active threats at or near company worksites, and regional political turmoil such as riots, looting, or protests.
However, navigating Reddit can be tricky. And as with any OSINT social media investigation, the question becomes, “What tools will help me to leverage this social network to provide the most intelligence?”
This article will discuss seven OSINT software tools to help you navigate Reddit and maximize its threat intelligence potential.
Let’s dive in.
Top 7 OSINT Software Tools for Reddit
Cama’s Reddit Search
Cama’s Reddit Search is a simple, easy-to-use OSINT search tool. This social media investigation tool allows you to search by Author (i.e., Reddit username), subreddit, posts/comments, score, date range, and keywords. Additionally, you can restrict your search results to multiple subreddits by simply placing a comma between each one. For example, if you want to confine your "OSINT" search query to the subreddits of OSINT and Corporate Security, you will enter it in the "Subreddit" field as OSINT, Corporate Security minus the quotation marks.
Redditsearch.io
This OSINT software tool from pushshift.io offers all the functionality of Cama’s Reddit Search, plus the ability to search for articles from a specific domain. However, there are some limitations. Some features like "Aggregations" and "DataViz" don’t always yield consistent results. Moreover, the “User Analyzer” and “Subreddit Suggestions” features aren’t particularly user-friendly.
On the plus side, you can dork to your heart's content using your search engine of choice. To search for a specific subreddit, enter the dork "site:reddit.com/r/[insert subreddit name] + keyword/username” (without quotes).
Karma Decay
This reverse image social media investigation tool tracks the different subreddits where photos have been published, often offering intriguing results. Conducting a reverse image search is simple - upload an image, copy/paste a Reddit URL, or install the browser plugin that integrates Karma Decay. Remember that the image processing time might be slightly longer, so it may take longer than a Google Image Search. Nevertheless, it is still a handy tool.
Reveddit
Reveddit is a social media investigation tool that helps you to find deleted posts. The benefits of being able to identify deleted posts are numerous. Often, users delete posts because they have something to hide, and for security professionals, these posts can constitute a treasure trove of information.
Reveddit’s search function is very straightforward. Analysts can search by subreddit (query format=r/subreddit name), domain name, link, or username. The primary caveat to using this particular tool is subreddit moderators, not the Reddit user themselves, remove the posts at their discretion.
The Wayback Machine is another excellent alternative to find deleted posts if all else fails. However, if your goal is to display deleted comments, you must carefully compare the Reddit post and snapshot to locate any differences. It can be a time-consuming process, but with determination and attention to detail, uncovering the missing content is possible.
Redective
Redective is a simple tool that searches the profile of a Reddit user and then collects and displays all found data. Analysts can see profile information and subreddit groups, frequently used words, and posts. Detailed insight about the subreddit is also provided when searching by subreddit, in addition to the data mentioned above.
Keep in mind, Redective does not store data on its server. Redective works in real-time by querying Reddit each time a search is performed.
Reddit Analyzer
Reddit Analyzer is a powerful OSINT software tool for social media investigations that collects comprehensive information from Reddit user accounts. Deployed through Python, once installed, it does all the work. With just the target's Reddit account, Reddit Analyzer provides valuable information, including creation date, last user activity, and verification status. It also gives the target account's reputation through a total number of comments and 'comment karma' while showing the account's shared links and 'link karma.'
Reddit Analyzer's most helpful feature is its graphical presentation of the user's posted comments across various sub-Reddits. This information is displayed in an easily actionable format, allowing for quicker resolution and results.
Maximizing Open-source Intelligence: Practical Application of Navigator OSINT Tools
Since OSINT tools for social media are our bread and butter, we'd like to look at our Navigator OSINT software.
Navigator monitors the internet 24/7 with custom search criteria to detect high-risk threats to your people, operations, and assets. Advanced filtering tools allow users to separate signals from the noise. And along with the largest social media platforms, the software scans more obscure and emerging online communities like Reddit, chan boards, paste sites, and the dark web.
In addition to automated monitoring, Navigator also provides a suite of investigative and reporting tools. So rather than juggling dozens of different applications, OSINT analysts and security teams can consolidate many of their programs into one easy-to-use platform.
Most importantly, Navigator’s function as a valuable OSINT software tool for Reddit goes beyond theory.
In a real-life example, A global oil & gas company received alerts of online posts threatening to kill their CEO and another high-ranking executive. By utilizing Navigator, the team was able to identify the source of the threats on Reddit and even discovered bomb threats and other violence aimed at the oil and gas industry. The team saved precious investigative time by automating post-collection and conducting identity resolution with one simple click. Ultimately, their swift action helped prevent a potentially devastating outcome.
The Bottom Line on the Top Social Media Investigation Tools as An Essential Part of Your OSINT Framework
OSINT software tools must always go hand in hand with good tradecraft. The above tools are only one facet of your Reddit social media investigation toolkit.
For security teams to fully understand the threat landscape, they require extensive data from multiple sources. Moreover, in the same way that analysts and security teams realize the treasure trove of intelligence that Reddit represents, so do malicious actors. As Reddit regulates problematic groups, threat actors will likely migrate to other platforms.
Nonetheless, Reddit's sheer size makes it a must-watch site for analysts. The quality of user conversations makes it a rich source for threat research and on-the-ground updates.
In other words, it’s another valuable piece in your security team’s toolkit, and having the OSINT software tools to maximize Reddit’s intelligence potential is a must.
Contact us today, and take a Navigator tour to discover how it can make your organization and your personnel safer from the inside out.