Shodan
Search Engine for Internet-Connected Devices
Introduction
Shodan is a specialized search engine for discovering internet-connected devices such as servers, cameras, routers, and more. It is widely used in cybersecurity for threat analysis, vulnerability assessment, and network reconnaissance.
Features
- Search for devices by keywords, services, or banners.
- Identify exposed databases, webcams, industrial control systems, and IoT devices.
- Filter results by location, organization, operating system, or port.
- Export data in CSV, JSON, or XML formats.
- Real-time monitoring of network infrastructure changes.
Installation
- Open a terminal.
- Install Shodan using:
sudo pacman -S shodan
Install Verification
Check the Shodan version to confirm installation:
shodan version
Uninstall
sudo pacman -R shodan
Usage
Configuration
- Get an API Key:
- Sign up at Shodan.
- Navigate to My Account > API Keys to retrieve your key.
- Initialize the API Key:
shodan init YOUR_API_KEY
Basic Commands
Search for Devices
shodan search "apache"
Get Information About an IP Address
shodan host 8.8.8.8
List Common Services
shodan stats apache
Check Open Ports on an IP
shodan host 1.1.1.1 | grep ports
Export Results to CSV
shodan search --limit 100 "cisco" --fields ip_str,port,org --separator , > results.csv
Example Workflow
- Find vulnerable web servers:
shodan search "http.title:'Apache2 Ubuntu Default Page'" - Identify exposed databases:
shodan search "product:mysql"
Official Documentation & More Info
Contributing
Shodan is a proprietary tool, but community contributions to open-source integrations (e.g., Python libraries) are welcome. Check their GitHub repositories for details.
Support
- Ask questions on the Shodan Community Forum.
- Report issues via the Shodan Support Portal.
License
Shodan’s CLI tool is released under the MIT License.