SHODAN for Penetration Testers

Architecture and Background

Michael Schearer - SHODAN for Penetration Testers SHODAN is a computer search engine. But it is unlike any other search engine. While other search engines scour the web for content, SHODAN scans for information about the sites themselves.

Vulnerability Analysis

The result is a search engine that aggregates banners from well-known services. This presentation will focus on the applications of SHODAN to penetration testers, and in particular will detail a number of case studies demonstrating passive vulnerability analysis including default passwords, descriptive banners, and complete pwnage. For penetration testers, SHODAN is a game-changer, and a goldmine of potential vulnerabilities.

Exploitation and Demonstrations

Michael Schearer ("theprez98") is a government contractor who spent nearly nine years in the United States Navy as a combat-experienced EA-6B Prowler Electronic Countermeasures Officer. He also spent nine months on the ground doing counter-IED work with the U.S. Army.

Remediation and Defensive Strategies

He is a graduate of Georgetown University's National Security Studies Program and a previous presenter at DEFCON, and has spoken at ShmooCon, HOPE and internationally at CONFidence (Poland) and HackCon (Norway) as well as other numerous conferences. Michael is a licensed amateur radio operator and an active member of the Church of WiFi. He lives in Maryland with his wife and children. For copies of the slides and additional materials please see the DEF CON 18 Archive here: