What is shodan search engine ?
Shodan is the world’s fastest search engine for internet connected devices. It is a search engine which allows users to connect to variety of electronic gadgets such as computers, laptops, routers etc by using a wide variety of filters.
Shodan is a search engine for Internet of Things (IoT). Internet of Things has hilariously revolutionized technological aspects of these electronic gadgets. Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical objects including devices with embedded electronic components, software’s, network connectivity allowing to manage, share and exchange data.
It is a system of interrelated computing devices provided with unique identifiers with the ability to transfer data over a network without human to human or human to computer interaction thus, minimizing human interference.
The IoT is far bigger than what people realizes. It is the next big thing to which they are not thinking enough. It is far above imagination and observation where the future is within the sight. Internet of Things is based on cloud computing which has transformed everything to ‘smart’.
The internet of Things (IoT)
The internet of things doesn’t function without cloud technology which provides a sufficient leverage to interpret and transmit data. With all these advancements, the biggest setback to the Internet of Things (IoT) is security, which is getting worse and broken. In the midst of all these security issues pertaining to IoT, Shodan is the latest search engine reminding us that why do we need to fix IoT security issues and the emerging trends.
Shodan is a web index, which searches the Internet for associated gadgets. Recently included reports, alongside planning, it can recognize and picture security weaknesses. Shodan, for the inexperienced, is a mission apparatus for discovering gadgets associated with the IoT (or Internet of Things), and also switches, PCs, and servers on the Internet. Shodan is also described as search engine of service banners. These are meta-data servers which send back information to the client regarding server software, server support and welcome messages to the client before client interacts with the server in person.
Shodan provides innumerable features to its users. Firstly, Shodan enables to explore Internet of Things (IoT). Shodan enables its end users to discover all the devices that are connected to the internet. The search engine also tells where devices located are and who is using them? Secondly, it monitors security. It keeps a track record of all the devices that are connected to the internet. Also, it enables to monitor all those devices which are directly accessible from the Internet. Shodan, in short helps in monitoring and tracking devices which helps its users to understand its digital footprint. Additionally, it provides us the big picture of the Internet. Websites are a very small component of Internet of Things, there’s lot more than that. Shodan gives us the big picture of monitoring power plants, smart TV’s and other electrical appliances. This search engine gives its users a competitive advantage of excelling in the empirical market equipped with latest emerging trends and paradigms.
The Shodan search engine started as a pet project of Matherly. The idea was based on the fact that large number of computer devices and other electronic gadgets are connected to the Internet; Shodan provides an effective tracking and monitoring system. The end users of Shodan are able to monitor systems such as traffic lights, security cameras, heating systems, gas stations, power plants, power grids, cyclotrons which are used in biomedical applications and other control system. In short, Shodan provides an effective and efficient controlling system of all the electronic based gadgets connected to the Internet.
Shodan is expanding its horizons. They have launched a new section which allows potential users of Shodan to browse vulnerable webcams. Security cameras are everywhere including on cash counter, banks, garages, gardens, schools, college, laboratories etc. Practically everything that we think of has webcam- it’s all over the place. These installed webcams are labeled as vulnerable because they are affiliated and bound to Real Time Streaming Protocol. This protocol allows to share video but have no password authentication in place. With this, image acquisition feed is available to Shodan members for analysis. Also, Shodan members can access their authenticated Shodan accounts thus, can search using some filter.
What is important to understand that this new image acquisition feed feature in Shodan highlights the pathetic and highly inexperienced status if IoT security and raises some technical and ethical questions to all the general public out there. However, these insecure webcams is not a naïve issue. In past, during a large span of several years many reports have been published by security check organizations foe exposing private lives of the public which is easily accessible and viewed on Internet. This suggests a major loophole in IoT security concerns.
Shodan, a web search tool that records PCs and gadgets as opposed to data, now permits clients. Security cameras and additional associated gadgets round the globe that doesn’t request any username or secret key. It’s the biosphere in 2016. Shodan, a web crawler, files PCs and gadgets instead of data, now permits clients to pull screenshots from caretaker cams, security cameras and other associated gadgets everywhere the globe that don’t request a username or secret key. Those copies are associated with an IP address, an extraordinary locator for every web association or gadget that can be followed back to a general topographical range.
With its wide range of applications, Shodan is considered as most terrifying and scariest search engine which easily identifies internet coupled cameras, traffic lights, ECG devices, patient monitors and power plants. Shodan is an emerging hegemonic hacking search engine which can hack anything that is connected to the Internet. According to John Matherly who is the owner and creator of this search engine tags this search engine as the scariest search engine on the planet earth because of its diverse abilities and capacities to extract data. What amazes general public is that here is a young child tied to a loveseat in Israel. Weepers clustered collected at a little burial service in there Brazil. A woman focuses on ability Centre in Poland. Everything is obtainable for anybody to lookout through the unsafe cameras and electronic gadgets connected to Internet via Shodan above.
Shodan search engine is user friendly. The usage of search engine is simple with minimized technical complexities at user end. The website search for publicly accessible internet connected devices to extract information from these insecure gadgets. The results are monitored by Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems.
It offers services to all types of users that have Shodan account or not but, the magnitude of services differ. It currently returns 10 results to users without an account and 50 to those with one.
These results are limited and restricted. If users want no restriction then they need to pay and get access to all such insecure internet connected gadgets to extract data of their own interest. Shodan’s digital world provides a free access to data stored in the devices connected to internet in the era of Internet of Things. The user interface of Shodan offers multiple features to its users. Its diggity is provided with a list of 167 search queries which are stored in dictionary file. The search engine allows user to do bulk searching and processing of Shodan queries which can be easily performed using this search engine. There is a pre made dictionary file by the name of Shodan Hacking Database (SHDB).
This dictionary file helps in targeting various Internet connected devices such as webcams, printers, switches, routers and many more. The list to which this hacking software can chase is exhaustive. In short, everything that shows compatibility to the Internet can be easily tracked down using Shodan powerful search engine.
Another important feature of Shodan search engine is Shodan Hacking Alerts. These hacking alerts are commonly known as RSS Feeds. These hacking alerts are live feeds which are constantly obtaining live data from the Shodan search engine.
These RSS feeds and alerts are provided by Bishop Fox’s free defensive tools which are later utilized to perform monitoring Shodan results and any threatening or vulnerable exposures. The ongoing monitoring via RSS feeds is a part of free defensive tool suite of the Google Hacking Diggity Project.
Now with Shodan you can analyze the Internet within seconds. Search the Internet for devices with Shodan and use the web interface to quickly generate sample reports. With all the features, creator of Shodan- Matherly hopes Shodan leads to more transparency and public shaming of companies which are selling vulnerable systems.
According to him, everything is on Internet whether we want it or not. And whatsoever data is on Internet will be acquired by Shodan-the powerful hacking search engine which is threatening IoT security and gives rise to threats and concerns.
