OSiNT Playbook : Sock Puppets

3 min readApr 17, 2023

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What’s a sock puppet and why should you have one?

In the world of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) investigations, the use of sock puppets has become a common procedure for both malicious actors and investigators. A sock puppet is a fake online persona created with the intention of deceiving others, typically for the purpose of spreading propaganda, disinformation, or manipulating public opinion.

However, in the realm of OSINT investigations, a sock puppet can also serve as a valuable tool for gathering information and identifying potential threats. In this article, we will delve into the definition of sock puppets, their significance in the context of OSINT investigations, and explore some real-world examples of their use in both positive and negative contexts.

Benefits of using a sock puppet during your investiagations

Using a sock puppet during OSINT investigations can provide several benefits. Some of the most notable advantages are:

Anonymity : By using a sock puppet, investigators can protect their identity and avoid revealing their real-world affiliations
Access : Sock puppets can provide investigators with access to closed or private online communities, forums and other groups that are not accessible to the general public.
Engagement : Sock puppets can be used to engage with individuals and groups that are suspected of engaging in malicious activities. This can provide investigators with valuable insights into the tactics, motivations, and networks of their targets.

These are just a few of the reasons why sock puppets, should be the first thing you learn about when it comes to OSINT investigations .

With this out of the way, let’s see how we can create a sock puppet.

Creating a sock puppet

I am going to break this process into a couple of steps.

Create a fake persona

You can use Fake Name Generator to create a person
For a picture of the persona that you created, use This Person Does Not Exist. Make sure to pick the best photo you can, with very few flaws. If possible, digitally remove these flaws using something like Photoshop.

Remain anonymous

Purchase a burner phone
Obtain a burner credit card from Privacy
With the burner credit card, buy a SIM card, preferably Mint Mobile.
Find a reliable VPN that provides the physical location you have chosen for your sock puppet.
Use your burner phone alongside the SIM card to sign up for all of the platforms you will need. Make sure to create a ProtonMail account and set up 2FA on all of the accounts.
After setting up 2FA, change your burner number to Google Voice.

Cover your tracks

After making sure everything is stable and is working, destroy the SIM card.
Destroy/Wipe the burner phone

This would be the process of creating a fully fledged sock puppet. Now of course, you do not have to go through the whole phone number process. You could get away with creating the accounts on a VM , but that is only possible if the services do not require phone number verification.

I hope you had a fun time reading the article and have extracted the most information out of it!