As technology advances, so do the methods of cyber attacks. This is where penetration testing, or pentesting, comes into play. Pentesting is a simulated cyber attack that helps organizations identify and fix vulnerabilities in their systems before they can be exploited by real attackers. One of the key aspects of pentesting is reconnaissance, or the process of gathering information about a target. This is where search engine tools for pentesters come in handy. In this blog post, we will discuss 24 search engine tools that can be useful for pentesters.
1. Shodan.io
Shodan is a search engine that allows users to search for internet-connected devices, including routers, webcams, servers, and other devices. Shodan is popular among pentesters because it can provide detailed information about the target network and its devices.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for specific devices or services using keywords and filters
- Display of detailed device information, including IP address, hostname, location, operating system, and open ports
- Ability to search for vulnerable or exploitable devices using search queries
- Ability to monitor devices for changes and updates over time
Interesting fact: Shodan has indexed over 10 billion devices on the internet and is often called the “Google for hackers.”
2. Google.com
Google is a search engine that can be used by pentesters to search for information about a target network, such as domain names, IP addresses, and web applications.
Some of its key features include:
- Advanced search operators to refine search results
- Ability to search for specific file types, such as PDFs or Excel spreadsheets
- Ability to search for information about a specific domain or website, including cached versions of web pages and information about backlinks
- Ability to search for information about email addresses or usernames
Interesting fact: Google processes over 3.5 billion searches per day and has indexed over 130 trillion web pages.
3. Wigle.net
Wigle is a search engine that can be used by pentesters to search for wireless access points and their locations.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for wireless access points by location or name
- Display of detailed information about wireless access points, including their SSID, encryption type, and signal strength
- Ability to search for wireless access points by their MAC address or BSSID
- Display of wireless access point locations on a map
Interesting fact: Wigle has indexed over 10 billion wireless access points worldwide.
4. Grep.app
Grep is one of search engine tools that can be used by pentesters to search for code snippets and files on public code repositories, such as GitHub or GitLab.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for code snippets using regular expressions or keywords
- Display of search results with highlighted code snippets and file paths
- Ability to search for code snippets in specific repositories or languages
- Ability to search for specific file types, such as JSON or YAML files
Interesting fact: Grep.app searches over 2.5 billion lines of code across over 1 million repositories.
5. App.binaryedge.io
BinaryEdge is a search engine tools that can be used by pentesters to search for internet-connected devices and their vulnerabilities.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for specific devices or services using keywords and filters
- Display of detailed device information, including IP address, hostname, location, operating system, and open ports
- Ability to search for vulnerable or exploitable devices using search queries
- Ability to monitor devices for changes and updates over time
Interesting fact: BinaryEdge has indexed over 1 billion devices and services on the internet.
6. Onyphe.io
Onyphe is a one of search engine that can be used by pentesters to search for internet-connected devices, including routers, webcams, servers, and other devices.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for specific devices or services using keywords and filters
- Display of detailed device information, including IP address, hostname, location, operating system, and open ports
- Ability to search for vulnerable or exploitable devices using search queries
- Ability to monitor devices for changes and updates over time
Interesting fact: Onyphe has indexed over 4 billion devices and services on the internet.
7. Viz.greynoise.io
Greynoise is a search engine that can be used by pentesters to search for internet-connected devices and their vulnerabilities.
Some of its key features include:
- Display of real-time threat intelligence data, including IP addresses, hostnames, and open ports
- Ability to search for specific devices or services using keywords and filters
- Display of device information, including location and reputation
- Ability to monitor devices for changes and updates over time
Interesting fact: Greynoise has indexed over 25 billion internet-connected devices and services.
8. Censys.io
Censys is a search engine that can be used by pentesters to search for internet-connected devices and their vulnerabilities.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for specific devices or services using keywords and filters
- Display of detailed device information, including IP address, hostname, location, operating system, and open ports
- Ability to search for vulnerable or exploitable devices using search queries
- Ability to monitor devices for changes and updates over time
Interesting fact: Censys has indexed over 33 billion internet-connected devices and services.
9. Hunter.io
Hunter is a search engine that can be used by pentesters to search for email addresses and domain names.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for email addresses using keywords and filters
- Display of email address information, including name, domain, and social media profiles
- Ability to search for domain names using keywords and filters
- Display of domain name information, including email addresses and company information
Interesting fact: Hunter has indexed over 1.9 billion email addresses and 747 million domain names.
10. Fofa.info
FOFA (Find Open Files and Assets) is a search engine that can be used by pentesters to search for internet-connected devices and their vulnerabilities.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for specific devices or services using keywords and filters
- Display of detailed device information, including IP address, hostname, location, operating system, and open ports
- Ability to search for vulnerable or exploitable devices using search queries
- Ability to monitor devices for changes and updates over time
Interesting fact: FOFA has indexed over 9 billion internet-connected devices and services.
11. Zoomeye.org
Zoomeye is a search engine that can be used by pentesters to search for internet-connected devices and their vulnerabilities.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for specific devices or services using keywords and filters
- Display of detailed device information, including IP address, hostname, location, operating system, and open ports
- Ability to search for vulnerable or exploitable devices using search queries
- Ability to monitor devices for changes and updates over time
Interesting fact: Zoomeye has indexed over 900 million internet-connected devices and services.
12. Leakix.net
LeakIX is a search engine that can be used by pentesters to search for vulnerabilities in web applications and services.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for web applications and services using keywords and filters
- Display of detailed information about web applications and services, including open ports, HTTP headers, and SSL/TLS certificates
- Ability to search for vulnerabilities using search queries
- Ability to monitor web applications and services for changes and updates over time
Interesting fact: LeakIX has indexed over 7 billion unique IP addresses.
13. Intelx.io
Intelx is a search engine tool designed for OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) investigations.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for various types of data, including email addresses, phone numbers, IP addresses, and domains
- Display of detailed information about search results, including social media profiles, dark web links, and pastebin archives
- Integration with various security tools and platforms, including Shodan, VirusTotal, and Censys
Interesting fact: Intelx has over 19 billion unique records indexed in its database.
14. App.netlas.io
Netlas is a search engine tool designed for web application security testing.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for vulnerabilities in web applications using keywords and filters
- Display of detailed vulnerability information, including affected software versions, CVSS scores, and potential attack vectors
- Integration with various security tools and platforms, including Burp Suite and Zap Proxy
Interesting fact: Netlas is an AI-powered platform that uses machine learning algorithms to identify and prioritize web application vulnerabilities.
15. Searchcode.com
Searchcode is a search engine tool designed for searching and analyzing source code repositories.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for source code using keywords and filters
- Display of detailed information about search results, including file names, lines of code, and commit history
- Integration with various source code management tools and platforms, including GitHub and Bitbucket
Interesting fact: Searchcode has over 10 billion lines of code indexed in its database.
16. Urlscan.io
Urlscan is a search engine that can be used by pentesters to analyze and scan websites and web applications.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to scan websites and web applications for vulnerabilities, including XSS, SQLi, and open redirects
- Display of detailed information about website and web application components, including HTTP headers, JavaScript files, and CSS files
- Ability to monitor websites and web applications for changes and updates over time
Interesting fact: Urlscan has analyzed over 20 million URLs.
17. Publicwww.com
Publicwww is a search engine that can be used by pentesters to search for code and scripts used in websites and web applications.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for code and scripts using keywords and filters
- Display of detailed information about code and scripts, including function names and variable names
- Ability to search for vulnerable or exploitable code and scripts using search queries
Interesting fact: Publicwww has indexed over 700 million code and script files.
18. Fullhunt.io
Fullhunt is a search engine that can be used by pentesters to search for sensitive data, including leaked credentials and personal information.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for sensitive data using keywords and filters
- Display of detailed information about sensitive data, including email addresses, usernames, and passwords
- Ability to monitor sensitive data for changes and updates over time
Interesting fact: Fullhunt has indexed over 7 billion records.
19. Socradar.io
Socradar is a search engine that can be used by pentesters to search for vulnerabilities in web applications and services.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for web applications and services using keywords and filters
- Display of detailed information about web applications and services, including open ports, HTTP headers, and SSL/TLS certificates
- Ability to search for vulnerabilities using search queries
- Ability to monitor web applications and services for changes and updates over time
Interesting fact: Socradar has indexed over 200 million web applications and services.
20. Binaryedge.io
Let’s take a closer look at BinaryEdge, a search engine tool designed for internet-connected device discovery and vulnerability assessment.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for internet-connected devices using keywords and filters
- Display of detailed device information, including open ports, installed software, and potential vulnerabilities
- Integration with various security tools and platforms, including Nessus, Metasploit, and Shodan.
Interesting fact: BinaryEdge has indexed over 400 million internet-connected devices in its database.
21. Ivre.rocks
Ivre is a search engine tool designed for network traffic analysis, including packet capture and network flow analysis.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to perform full packet capture and network flow analysis
- Support for various protocols, including TCP, UDP, and ICMP
- Ability to visualize network traffic data using graphs and charts
Interesting fact: Ivre is an open-source tool that was initially developed for the French national cyberdefense agency.
22. Crt.sh
Crt.sh is a search engine tool designed for SSL/TLS certificate transparency logs.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for SSL/TLS certificates using domain names, common names, and certificate fingerprints
- Display of detailed certificate information, including certificate authorities, certificate issuance and expiration dates, and certificate revocation status
- Ability to monitor SSL/TLS certificates for changes and updates over time
Interesting fact: Crt.sh is operated by Comodo CA, one of the largest SSL/TLS certificate authorities in the world.
23. Vulners.com
Vulners is a search engine tool designed for vulnerability management and threat intelligence.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for vulnerabilities using keywords and filters
- Display of detailed vulnerability information, including affected software versions, CVSS scores, and potential attack vectors
- Integration with various security tools and platforms, including Nessus, Metasploit, and Shodan
Interesting fact: Vulners has over 16 million vulnerabilities indexed in its database.
24. Pulsedive.com
Pulsedive is a search engine tool designed for threat intelligence and threat hunting.
Some of its key features include:
- Ability to search for threats using keywords and filters
- Display of detailed threat information, including indicators of compromise, malware families, and associated threat actors
- Integration with various security tools and platforms, including VirusTotal, Shodan, and MISP
Interesting fact: Pulsedive has over 250 million indicators of compromise indexed in its database.
Read More Introducing 23 Web Application Hacking Tools
Conclusion
In conclusion, search engine tools are essential for pentesters to gather information about potential targets. By using these tools, pentesters can gain a better understanding of their targets and identify potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited. However, it’s important to use these tools ethically and responsibly, and to always follow best practices for cybersecurity testing.
Additionally, it’s important to note that these tools are not a replacement for traditional security measures, such as firewalls and antivirus software. Rather, they are a valuable addition to a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. As always, the ultimate goal is to improve the overall security posture and protect against potential threats.