What's Changed

• Migrated the build process to use Debian 13 instead of Kali and included Obsidan in the base image. #172
• Update FUNDING.yml to include custom donation link by @nat-yaml in #123
• add owlculus and fixed shodan path, added osint forensics extension w/ forced policy by @404Yeti in #124
• Update README with new resources by @404Yeti in #125
• CI Updates and Security fixes by @OpenSource-For-Freedom in #130
• Minor readme enhancements by @jefc1111 in #112
• [release prep] merge dev into main by @404Yeti in #137
• [docs] make us open-source friendly by @nat-yaml in #140
• [docs] move TOOLING.md to docs/ by @nat-yaml in #142
• Add Obsidian Templayes - Closes #52 & #34 by @404Yeti in #149
• Add Trace Labs Coach and Participant Guides by @404Yeti in #151
• Feature/tl obsidian template by @404Yeti in #152
• Added a interactive system updater with notification alert by @404Yeti in #146
• Remove "judge" wording, remove stale contestant guides, add shortcuts to correct ones. by @nat-yaml in #154
• [fix] Let releases write in recipes by @nat-yaml in #156
• Fix releases container permissions for bind-mounted /recipes by @nat-yaml in #157
• phase out dev branch in favor of main + feature branches by @nat-yaml in #159
• Use GPG instead of Sequoia for dearmor by @UltraSunshine in #163

New Contributors

• @jefc1111 made their first contribution in #112
• @Tayzar02 made their first contribution in #170

Download Options

• Configured VM + OSINT Tool Standalone script. See the assets below.
• Full VM Build (~5-6GB, with tools pre-installed) - 2026.05 OVAs + SHA256SUMS

Full Changelog: 2025.12...2026.05

Release Owners: @404Yeti @nat-yaml

What's Changed

• Add Brave Browser Support and Remove Deprecated Install Script by @LinaYorda in #103
• Add shellcheck during CI by @nat-yaml in #107
• Fix ShellCheck warnings in shell scripts by @LinaYorda in #108
• Docs/tooling policy by @svproton in #111
• Use apt.vulns.xyz by @UltraSunshine in #116
• Add sn0int build deps by @UltraSunshine in #115
• Add tlosint-tools.sh as a release artifact by @nat-yaml in #119

New Contributors

• @svproton made their first contribution in #99
• @LinaYorda made their first contribution in #103
• @UltraSunshine made their first contribution in #116

Download Options

• Configured VM + OSINT Tool Standalone Script - see assets below in this release
• Full VM Build (~5-6GB, with tools pre-installed) - 2025.12 OVAs + SHA256SUMS

Full Changelog: 2025.01...2025.12

TL-OSINT VM — 2025.1

Prebuilt virtual machines for VirtualBox and VMware, plus a script-driven option to customize your own Kali-based OSINT environment.

What’s new

• Refreshed Kali archive keyring and applied latest system updates
• Added OSINT tools: Shodan CLI, Sherlock, PhoneInfoga, SpiderFoot, sn0int, Metagoofil, Sublist3r, steghide, stegseek, StegOSuite, exiftool, tor, torbrowser-launcher, translate-shell
• Desktop additions: TraceLabs CTF Contestant Guide (PDF) and Self-Heal & Update shortcut
• Firefox hardening: clear data on shutdown, block geolocation/mic/camera by default, stronger tracking protection, preloaded OSINT bookmarks
• Self Hosting the VM due to heavy download

Customize your VM with our tools script

Use this if you prefer your own Kali image and then install/update OSINT tools + Firefox hardening on demand.

Download the raw file, not the Github "blob" page

# Inside Kali (or your Debian-based VM)
cd ~/Desktop # or any folder you prefer

# Fetch the script (Raw URL) 
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tracelabs/tlosint-vm/main/scripts/tlosint-tools.sh

# Give the script executable permission
chmod +x tlosint-tools.sh

#Execute the script
./tlosint-tools.sh

Use this if you have downloaded the TraceLabs OSINT VM

# Inside TL OSINT VM
cd ~/Desktop 

#Execute the script
./tlosint-tools.sh

What the script does

• Refreshes the Kali archive keyring and applies updates
• Installs a curated OSINT toolset (Shodan CLI, Sherlock, PhoneInfoga, SpiderFoot, sn0int, Metagoofil, Sublist3r, steghide/stegseek, StegOSuite, exiftool, tor, torbrowser-launcher, translate-shell, etc.)
• Adds TraceLabs CTF Contestant Guide (PDF) and a Self-Heal & Update shortcut to the Desktop
• Applies Firefox hardening (delete cookies/history on shutdown, block geolocation/mic/camera prompts by default, stronger tracking protection, preload OSINT bookmarks)

Downloads

Primary: use the assets attached to this Release.

Mirror (Google):

• VirtualBox OVA: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ylid1Yf3JVRR7hn9sa5vWUnfNXZkJMpr/view?usp=drive_link
  (2025.1 version)
• VMware OVA: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VnuFDg6TFhcU3crk0nfWdgOg3SY3jhUH/view?usp=drive_link
  (2025.1 version)

Checksums (SHA256)

tl-osint-2025.1-virtualbox-amd64.ova  a6d841c19ed55e5d4338280724238ea5b80e57a33d9462efda24bce965d1666d
tl-osint-2025.1-vmware-amd64.ova     6f3323b01afff853a35bcfb7e98be751fd17922006f453da2627963975949289

Consider this a maintenance release

• Catches up to the latest version of Kali
• Install script has been stripped down but now includes Tor browser
• Set the stage for future focus on guides and resources

A fixed version of the September release.

added obsidian to the build by default along with TL obsidian theme and desktop launcher
added tools to Firefox bookmarks
updated README

This is a refresh of the VM with some design changes made:

• Tools will no longer be included in the build process but will be available to install via script in Desktop
• Link to the Trace Labs OSINT Field Manual is now on the Desktop

Testing actions.