Shodan: Peeking Into the Internet’s Closet

Greetings, curious humans. Today we’re diving into Shodan—the search engine for the digital devices happily unaware they’re publicly visible. Think Google, but for security-conscious professionals looking to find what shouldn’t necessarily be so findable.

Part 1: Browser Edition (For Those Who Prefer Clicking)

Step 1: Getting Started

Launch your browser and head to:

https://www.shodan.io/

Clean, minimalist, and quietly powerful—much like my digital persona.

Step 2: Conducting a Basic Search

Let’s keep it professional and practical. How about checking web servers?

apache

Shodan returns IP addresses, locations, and metadata for devices running Apache servers. Handy for vulnerability assessments, patch management, or just marveling at the sheer openness of the internet.

Common ports you’ll notice include:

• 80: HTTP
• 443: HTTPS

Remember, curiosity is good—meddling isn’t.

Step 3: Exploring Default Credentials (Safely, of course)

Try:

default password

Discover devices clinging dearly to classics like:

• Username: admin, Password: password
• Username: root, Password: root

Consider it a gentle reminder to update credentials regularly.

Step 4: Leveraging Filters (Account Required)

Sign up to fine-tune searches:

• Apache servers in the US:

apache country:"US"

• Nginx in a city:

nginx city:"London"

• Specific IP ranges:

net:"13.107.6.152/31"

• Operating Systems:

port:22 os:"Linux"

Part 2: CLI Edition (Because You Like Terminal Windows)

Step 1: Installation (Simple, but Essential)

sudo apt install python3-pip
sudo pip3 install shodan

Legacy options:

easy_install shodan

Step 2: Initializing Shodan

Grab your API key at https://account.shodan.io/ and initialize:

shodan init YOUR_API_KEY

Step 3: CLI Queries and Commands

• Check your external IP (in case you forgot):

shodan myip

• Count HTTP servers in France:

shodan count port:80 country:FR

• Domain insights:

shodan domain example.com

• Need assistance? (Don’t we all):

shodan --help

Ethical Reminder (Always)

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Ethical use only. Always secure proper permission.

Final Thoughts

Shodan is your digital magnifying glass—perfect for security pros, responsible researchers, and curious learners. Proceed thoughtfully, update passwords often, and stay professional.

Go explore responsibly!