Why you need this course

When companies and platforms get hacked, millions of records leak online—usernames, passwords, email addresses, phone numbers, sometimes much more. Most people don't know how to use this information. OSINT investigators do.

Breach data is one of the most practical resources available if you know how to work with it. You can use it to find connections between identities, track someone's online presence across multiple accounts, verify claims about who someone is, identify which platforms someone uses, and uncover patterns in someone's digital footprint. It helps you validate leads, connect dots, and fill gaps in your research.

This course teaches you how to access breach data responsibly, search and navigate large datasets, extract relevant information, cross-reference findings with other OSINT sources, and understand what you're looking at and what it actually means. You'll learn which breaches are worth paying attention to, how to avoid false positives, and how to use this data to strengthen your investigations without getting into legal or ethical gray areas.

If you're doing any kind of investigation work—research, security, journalism, or just trying to understand someone's online presence—knowing how to work with breach data is a valuable skill that opens up real investigative possibilities.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • This course is 45 minutes long.

  • Earn 1 CPE/CEU for completing this course.

  • Micah Hoffman authored and teaches the course.

  • This course consists of online videos accessible from mobile app and/or web browser. Lecture, demonstration, and hands-on exercises.

  • This course is included in the All OSINT Course bundles.

  • A course completion certificate is automatically provided to students finishing this course.