Uncover Search Engine Tool Cheat Sheet

Overview

Uncover is a powerful search engine wrapper developed by Project Discovery that allows quickly discovering exposed hosts on the internet using multiple search engines. It provides a unified interface to query popular search engines like Shodan, Censys, Fofa, Hunter, Zoomeye, Netlas, and more, making it an essential tool for reconnaissance and attack surface mapping.

What sets Uncover apart from directly using these search engines is its ability to query multiple providers simultaneously, normalize the results, and provide them in a consistent format. This significantly speeds up the process of discovering internet-exposed assets and helps security professionals identify potential security risks more efficiently. Uncover is designed with automation in mind, making it easy to integrate into security workflows and pipelines.

Uncover is commonly used by security researchers, bug bounty hunters, and penetration testers to discover exposed services, vulnerable applications, and misconfigured systems. Its ability to leverage multiple search engines provides a more comprehensive view of the attack surface, increasing the chances of finding security issues that might be missed when using a single source.

Installation

Using Go

# Install using Go (requires Go 1.20 or later)
go install -v github.com/projectdiscovery/uncover/cmd/uncover@latest

# Verify installation
uncover -version

Using Docker

# Pull the latest Docker image
docker pull projectdiscovery/uncover:latest

# Run Uncover using Docker
docker run -it projectdiscovery/uncover:latest -h

Using Homebrew (macOS)

# Install using Homebrew
brew install uncover

# Verify installation
uncover -version

Using PDTM (Project Discovery Tools Manager)

# Install PDTM first if not already installed
go install -v github.com/projectdiscovery/pdtm/cmd/pdtm@latest

# Install Uncover using PDTM
pdtm -i uncover

# Verify installation
uncover -version

On Kali Linux

# Install using apt
sudo apt install uncover

# Verify installation
uncover -version

Basic Usage

Searching with Queries

# Search using a basic query
uncover -q "apache"

# Search using multiple queries
uncover -q "apache,nginx"

# Search from a file containing queries
uncover -qf queries.txt

# Search from STDIN
echo "apache" | uncover

Provider Selection

# Search using a specific provider
uncover -q "apache" -e shodan

# Search using multiple providers
uncover -q "apache" -e shodan,censys

# List available providers
uncover -list-engines

Output Options

# Save results to a file
uncover -q "apache" -o results.txt

# Output in JSON format
uncover -q "apache" -json -o results.json

# Silent mode (only results)
uncover -q "apache" -silent

Provider Configuration

API Key Configuration

# Set Shodan API key
uncover -shodan-key YOUR_SHODAN_API_KEY

# Set Censys API credentials
uncover -censys-id YOUR_CENSYS_ID -censys-secret YOUR_CENSYS_SECRET

# Set Fofa API credentials
uncover -fofa-email YOUR_FOFA_EMAIL -fofa-key YOUR_FOFA_KEY

# Set ZoomEye API key
uncover -zoomeye-key YOUR_ZOOMEYE_API_KEY

# Set Hunter API key
uncover -hunter-key YOUR_HUNTER_API_KEY

# Set Netlas API key
uncover -netlas-key YOUR_NETLAS_API_KEY

# Set Quake API key
uncover -quake-key YOUR_QUAKE_API_KEY

# Set Criminalip API key
uncover -criminalip-key YOUR_CRIMINALIP_API_KEY

Provider-Specific Options

# Set maximum results per provider
uncover -q "apache" -limit 100

# Set timeout for provider requests
uncover -q "apache" -timeout 60

Advanced Usage

Advanced Search Queries

# Search for specific ports
uncover -q "port:80"

# Search for specific services
uncover -q "product:nginx"

# Search for specific vulnerabilities
uncover -q "vuln:cve-2021-44228"

# Search for specific countries
uncover -q "country:US"

# Search for specific organizations
uncover -q "org:\"Example Inc\""

# Combine multiple filters
uncover -q "port:443 product:nginx country:US"

ASN Query Syntax

# Search using ASN query syntax
uncover -asq "asn:AS15169 product:nginx"

# Search for specific ASN
uncover -asq "asn:AS15169"

# Search for specific organization
uncover -asq "org:Google"

# Search for specific IP range
uncover -asq "ip:8.8.8.0/24"

Field Selection

# Select specific fields to display
uncover -q "apache" -f ip,port,host

# Available fields: ip, port, host, country, city, org, isp, asn, product, version

Integration with Other Tools

Pipeline with HTTPX

# Discover hosts and probe for HTTP services
uncover -q "apache" -silent | httpx -silent

# Discover hosts, filter by port, and probe for HTTP services
uncover -q "port:443" -silent | httpx -silent

Pipeline with Nuclei

# Discover hosts and scan for vulnerabilities
uncover -q "apache" -silent | nuclei -t cves/

# Discover hosts with specific product and scan for related vulnerabilities
uncover -q "product:nginx" -silent | nuclei -t exposures/

Pipeline with Naabu

# Discover hosts and scan for open ports
uncover -q "apache" -silent | naabu -silent

# Discover hosts and scan for specific ports
uncover -q "apache" -silent | naabu -p 80,443,8080 -silent

Output Customization

Custom Output Format

# Output only IP addresses
uncover -q "apache" -silent -f ip

# Output IP:port format
uncover -q "apache" -silent -f ip,port | awk '{print $1":"$2}'

# Count results
uncover -q "apache" -silent | wc -l

# Sort output by IP
uncover -q "apache" -silent | sort

Filtering Output

# Filter by specific pattern
uncover -q "apache" -silent | grep "8.8.8"

# Filter by port
uncover -q "apache" -silent -f ip,port | grep ":443$"

# Find unique IPs
uncover -q "apache" -silent -f ip | sort -u

Advanced Filtering

Provider-Specific Filtering

# Filter Shodan results by port
uncover -q "apache" -e shodan -silent | grep ":80$"

# Filter Censys results by country
uncover -q "apache" -e censys -silent -f ip,country | grep "US$"

# Filter Fofa results by title
uncover -q "apache" -e fofa -silent | grep "Dashboard"

Combining Multiple Queries

# Search for multiple products
uncover -q "product:nginx,product:apache" -silent

# Search for multiple ports
uncover -q "port:80,port:443" -silent

# Search for multiple vulnerabilities
uncover -q "vuln:cve-2021-44228,vuln:cve-2021-40438" -silent

Provider-Specific Syntax

Shodan Syntax

# Basic Shodan query
uncover -q "apache" -e shodan

# Shodan port filter
uncover -q "port:80" -e shodan

# Shodan product filter
uncover -q "product:nginx" -e shodan

# Shodan country filter
uncover -q "country:US" -e shodan

# Shodan organization filter
uncover -q "org:\"Example Inc\"" -e shodan

# Shodan ASN filter
uncover -q "asn:AS15169" -e shodan

# Shodan vulnerability filter
uncover -q "vuln:cve-2021-44228" -e shodan

Censys Syntax

# Basic Censys query
uncover -q "apache" -e censys

# Censys port filter
uncover -q "services.port=80" -e censys

# Censys product filter
uncover -q "services.software.product=nginx" -e censys

# Censys country filter
uncover -q "location.country_code=US" -e censys

# Censys ASN filter
uncover -q "autonomous_system.asn=15169" -e censys

Fofa Syntax

# Basic Fofa query
uncover -q "apache" -e fofa

# Fofa port filter
uncover -q "port=80" -e fofa

# Fofa product filter
uncover -q "app=\"nginx\"" -e fofa

# Fofa country filter
uncover -q "country=\"US\"" -e fofa

# Fofa ASN filter
uncover -q "asn=\"AS15169\"" -e fofa

ZoomEye Syntax

# Basic ZoomEye query
uncover -q "apache" -e zoomeye

# ZoomEye port filter
uncover -q "port:80" -e zoomeye

# ZoomEye product filter
uncover -q "app:nginx" -e zoomeye

# ZoomEye country filter
uncover -q "country:US" -e zoomeye

# ZoomEye ASN filter
uncover -q "asn:15169" -e zoomeye

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. API Key Issues

   # Verify API key configuration
   uncover -list-keys
   
   # Update API key
   uncover -shodan-key YOUR_NEW_SHODAN_API_KEY

2. Rate Limiting

   # Reduce number of queries
   uncover -q "apache" -limit 10
   
   # Increase timeout
   uncover -q "apache" -timeout 60

3. No Results

   # Try a different provider
   uncover -q "apache" -e censys
   
   # Try a more general query
   uncover -q "web" -e shodan

4. Connection Issues

   # Check internet connection
   ping 8.8.8.8
   
   # Increase timeout
   uncover -q "apache" -timeout 60

Debugging

# Enable verbose mode
uncover -q "apache" -v

# Show debug information
uncover -q "apache" -debug

# Check provider status
uncover -list-engines

Configuration

Configuration File

Uncover uses a configuration file located at $HOME/.config/uncover/provider-config.yaml. You can customize various settings in this file:

# Example configuration file
shodan:
  key: YOUR_SHODAN_API_KEY
censys:
  id: YOUR_CENSYS_ID
  secret: YOUR_CENSYS_SECRET
fofa:
  email: YOUR_FOFA_EMAIL
  key: YOUR_FOFA_KEY
zoomeye:
  key: YOUR_ZOOMEYE_API_KEY
hunter:
  key: YOUR_HUNTER_API_KEY
netlas:
  key: YOUR_NETLAS_API_KEY
quake:
  key: YOUR_QUAKE_API_KEY
criminalip:
  key: YOUR_CRIMINALIP_API_KEY

Environment Variables

# Set Uncover configuration via environment variables
export SHODAN_API_KEY=YOUR_SHODAN_API_KEY
export CENSYS_API_ID=YOUR_CENSYS_ID
export CENSYS_API_SECRET=YOUR_CENSYS_SECRET
export FOFA_EMAIL=YOUR_FOFA_EMAIL
export FOFA_KEY=YOUR_FOFA_KEY
export ZOOMEYE_API_KEY=YOUR_ZOOMEYE_API_KEY
export HUNTER_API_KEY=YOUR_HUNTER_API_KEY
export NETLAS_API_KEY=YOUR_NETLAS_API_KEY
export QUAKE_API_KEY=YOUR_QUAKE_API_KEY
export CRIMINALIP_API_KEY=YOUR_CRIMINALIP_API_KEY

Reference

Command Line Options

Flag	Description
-q, -query	Query to search
-qf, -query-file	File containing queries to search
-e, -engine	Search engine(s) to use
-o, -output	File to write output to
-json	Write output in JSON format
-silent	Show only results in output
-v, -verbose	Show verbose output
-debug	Show debug information
-f, -field	Fields to display in output
-limit	Maximum number of results per provider
-timeout	Timeout for provider requests in seconds
-asq	Use ASN query syntax
-list-engines	List available search engines
-list-keys	List configured API keys
-shodan-key	Shodan API key
-censys-id	Censys API ID
-censys-secret	Censys API secret
-fofa-email	Fofa email
-fofa-key	Fofa API key
-zoomeye-key	ZoomEye API key
-hunter-key	Hunter API key
-netlas-key	Netlas API key
-quake-key	Quake API key
-criminalip-key	Criminalip API key
-version	Show Uncover version

Supported Providers

Provider	Description	API Key Required
shodan	Shodan search engine	Yes
censys	Censys search engine	Yes
fofa	Fofa search engine	Yes
zoomeye	ZoomEye search engine	Yes
hunter	Hunter search engine	Yes
netlas	Netlas search engine	Yes
quake	Quake search engine	Yes
criminalip	Criminalip search engine	Yes

Common Search Fields

Field	Description
ip	IP address
port	Port number
host	Hostname
country	Country code
city	City name
org	Organization name
isp	Internet service provider
asn	Autonomous system number
product	Product name
version	Product version

Resources

• Official Documentation
• GitHub Repository
• Project Discovery Discord

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This cheat sheet provides a comprehensive reference for using Uncover, from basic searching to advanced filtering and integration with other tools. For the most up-to-date information, always refer to the official documentation.