HostHunter – Hostnames Recon Tool Using OSINT

A hostname is an Internet address or domain name with a prefix. For example, a hostname of the domain name geeksforgeeks.org may be www.geeksforgeeks.org. A hostname may also be a root domain name. Hostname Extraction is the process of identifying this host from the IP address. There can be multiple hosts associated with a single IP address. So this can be done through the HostHunter tool. HostHunter tool is an automated tool developed in the Python language and available on the GitHub platform. HostHunter tool is a free and open-source tool. HostHunter utilizes simple OSINT techniques. It generates a CSV file containing the results of the reconnaissance.

Features of HostHunter Tool

• HostHunter tool has support for Python3.
• HostHunter tool supports capturing screenshots of target applications.
• HostHunter tool supports .txt amd .csv files output format.
• HostHunter tool can also collect information from HTTP headers.
• HostHunter tool has support to Nessus target format output.
• HostHunter too has the support to IPv4 addresses.

Note: Make Sure You have Python Installed on your System, as this is a python-based tool. Click to check the Installation process – Python Installation Steps on Linux

Installation of HostHunter Tool on Kali Linux OS

Step 1: Use the following command to install the tool in your Kali Linux operating system.

git clone https://github.com/SpiderLabs/HostHunter.git

Step 2: Now use the following command to move into the directory of the tool. You have to move to the directory to run the tool.

cd HostHunter

Step 3: You are in the directory of the HostHunter. Now you have to install a dependency of the HostHunter using the following command.

sudo pip3 install -r requirements.txt

Step 4: All the dependencies have been installed in your Kali Linux operating system. Now use the following command to run the tool and check the help section.

python3 hosthunter.py -h

Working with HostHunter Tool on Kali Linux OS

Example 1: Scan a Single IP

python3 hosthunter.py -t 34.218.62.116

In this example, we will be scanning geeksforgeeks.org domain IP.

4 unique hosts are identified for geeksforgeeks.org

Results are saved in the CSV file.

Example 2: Displays the current version

python3 hosthunter.py -V

In this example, we will be displaying the current version of the tool.

Example 3: Run HostHunter Screen Capture module and output a Nessus file

python3 hosthunter.py targets.txt -sc -f csv -o hosts.csv

In this example, we are running the HostHunter tool to capture screenshots and output results.

Example 4: Display Results

cat hosts.csv

In this example, we are displaying the results in the terminal itself.

Example 5: View Screenshots

xdg-open ./screen_captures/

In this example, we are opening the screenshot directory and displaying the screenshots which are captured by the HostHunter.