Shodan is a search engine that allows users to search for Internet-related devices and detailed information on websites, such as the type of software running on a particular operating system and local anonymous FTP servers. Shodan can be used in a very similar way to Google, with the difference that it indexes data based on banner content, i.e. metadata that servers send to hosting clients. For best results, searches on Shodan should be performed using a series of string-format filters.
Steps
Step 1. Go to the Shodan website at
Step 2. Click on "Register" at the top right of the Shodan home page
Step 3. Enter a username, email address and password, then click "Submit"
Shodan will send you a verification email.
Step 4. Open the verification email and click on the URL provided to activate your Shodan account
The login screen will open in a new browser window.
Step 5. Log in to Shodan by entering your username and password
Step 6. Using a string format, enter your search terms in the text field located at the top of the page
For example, if you want to find all Internet-related devices in the United States that currently use default passwords, enter "default password country: US".
Step 7. Click on "Search" to perform the search
The web page will refresh and display a list of all devices or banners that match your search terms.
Step 8. Narrow your search by using a series of filters in the string command
The most common search filters are as follows:
- City: Users can limit the search results of devices by city. For example, "city: sacramento".
- Country: Users can limit the device search results by country, using the two-digit country code. For example, "country: US".
- Hostname: Users can limit the device search results based on the value included in the hostname. For example, "hostname: facebook.com".
- Operating system: Users can search for devices based on the operating system. For example, "microsoft os: windows".
Step 9. Click on any list to learn more about a particular operating system
Most of the lists will show detailed information about the systems, such as their IP address, latitude and longitude, SSH and HTTP settings, and server name.
Advice
- Refine your search by further filters by purchasing add-ons from the Shodan site. Click on "Buy" at the top right of the page to purchase and access additional search filters.
- If you are a system administrator of your business or company, use Shodan to ensure that the system is set up in such a way that it is not easily hacked by malicious users. For example, search for your operating system using strings that include the term "default password", to verify that the system is not using default passwords that could compromise system security.
