Host Hunter

Abstract

1. Introduction

HostHunter v2.0 A tool to efficiently discover and extract hostnames providing a large set of target IPv4 or IPv6 addresses. HostHunter utilises simple OSINT and active reconaissance techniques to map IP targets with virtual hostnames. This is especially useful for discovering the true attack surface of your organisation. Output can be generated in multiple formats including CSV, TXT or Nessus file formats.

2. Objective

HostHunter a recon tool for discovering hostnames using OSINT techniques.

This project demonstrates how Python can be applied to a real-world Cybersecurity & Ethical Hacking problem.

3. Key Features / Modules

• Works with Python3.10
• Extracts information from SSL/TLS certificates.
• Supports Free HackerTarget API requests.
• Takes Screenshots of the target applications.
• Validates the targets IPv4 address.
• Supports .txt and .csv output file formats
• Gathers information from HTTP headers.
• Verifies Internet access.
• Retrieves hostname values from services at 21/tcp, 25/tcp, 80/tcp and 443/tcp ports.
• Supports Nessus target format output.

4. Technology Stack

5. System Requirements

General requirements for this technology stack — check the README for exact versions.

• Python 3.8 or later
• pip / virtualenv for dependencies
• VS Code, PyCharm or Jupyter Notebook
• Git (to clone the repository)

6. Installation & Setup

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

1. Tested with Python 3.10.8.

$ python3.10 hosthunter.py <targets.txt>

$ cat vhosts.csv

Full setup instructions are in the project README.

7. Future Enhancements

Suggested extensions you can add to make this your own project.

• Add logging and alert notifications (email / Telegram)
• Write a threat model document for the tool
• Package it with Docker for safe lab testing

8. Viva / Review Questions

Common questions examiners ask for projects in this domain.

1. Which threat or attack does this project defend against?
2. What detection or protection technique is used and what are its limits?
3. How are false positives and false negatives handled?
4. Which cryptographic algorithms or security standards are involved?
5. What legal and ethical rules apply when testing a tool like this?

9. Source Code & License

This project is developed by SpiderLabs and published on GitHub under the MIT License. Please follow the license terms and credit the original author when you use or modify this code.