Top 5 Websites for Information Gathering — Part 1

Information gathering is the foundation of cybersecurity investigations, penetration testing, and Open Source Intelligence (OSINT). Security researchers, ethical hackers, and intelligence analysts use various online resources to collect critical data about a target. This data includes domain details, IP addresses, exposed credentials, subdomains, and even leaked sensitive information.

In this article (Part 1), we will explore five of the most powerful websites for information gathering, detailing their use cases and how they help in reconnaissance and security research.

Shodan is a search engine for internet-connected devices like servers, webcams, databases, and industrial control systems. Unlike Google, which indexes websites, Shodan indexes open ports, services, and vulnerabilities of publicly accessible systems.

✔ Find exposed databases (MongoDB, Elasticsearch, etc.)
✔ Identify unprotected webcams and IoT devices
✔ Discover vulnerable servers with outdated software
✔ Monitor industrial control systems (ICS/SCADA)

To find all open RDP ports (3389) in a specific country, use:

Why It’s Useful for Information Gathering?

Censys is similar to Shodan but provides more in-depth analysis of internet-connected assets. It…