The right know-how can turn the search engine for Internet-connected devices into a powerful tool for security professionals.

In the toolkit carried by hackers under any shade of hat, a search engine has become an essential component. Shodan, a search engine built to crawl and search Internet-connected devices, has become a go-to for researchers who want to quickly find the Internet-facing devices on an organization's network.

With skilled use, Shodan can present a researcher with the devices in an address range, the number of devices in a network, or any of a number of different results based on the criteria of the search. 

There are many ways to approach Shodan, but the following seven steps will get you started in the right direction. Have you already begun with Shodan? Are you a Shodan ninja? What tips do you have for beginners? Share your thoughts in the comments.

(Image: Shodan)

About the Author(s)

Curtis Franklin, Principal Analyst, Omdia

Curtis Franklin Jr. is Principal Analyst at Omdia, focusing on enterprise security management. Previously, he was senior editor of Dark Reading, editor of Light Reading's Security Now, and executive editor, technology, at InformationWeek, where he was also executive producer of InformationWeek's online radio and podcast episodes

Curtis has been writing about technologies and products in computing and networking since the early 1980s. He has been on staff and contributed to technology-industry publications including BYTE, ComputerWorld, CEO, Enterprise Efficiency, ChannelWeb, Network Computing, InfoWorld, PCWorld, Dark Reading, and ITWorld.com on subjects ranging from mobile enterprise computing to enterprise security and wireless networking.

Curtis is the author of thousands of articles, the co-author of five books, and has been a frequent speaker at computer and networking industry conferences across North America and Europe. His most recent books, Cloud Computing: Technologies and Strategies of the Ubiquitous Data Center, and Securing the Cloud: Security Strategies for the Ubiquitous Data Center, with co-author Brian Chee, are published by Taylor and Francis.

When he's not writing, Curtis is a painter, photographer, cook, and multi-instrumentalist musician. He is active in running, amateur radio (KG4GWA), the MakerFX maker space in Orlando, FL, and is a certified Florida Master Naturalist.

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