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Highlights from the New Unleash the Power of Censys Search Handbook

It goes without saying that the cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving, with more frequent and sophisticated threats challenging security teams daily. In this high-stakes environment, real-time internet intelligence is essential for staying ahead of adversaries.

Censys Search is a trusted tool that’s giving security practitioners around the world a leg up against these threats. That’s because it provides access to unmatched visibility into the global internet, helping teams more effectively identify vulnerabilities, track malicious infrastructure, and mitigate threats. If you’re here, you may already be familiar with it!

Our new guide, Unleash the Power of Censys Search: A Hassle-Free Handbook for Cyber Heroes, offers practical insights and step-by-step instructions that both new and experienced users can leverage to make the most of Censys Search’s powerful capabilities.

Below, we’ll share a sneak peek of the key takeaways from the guide. Ready to jump into the full guide? Download your copy.

Chapter 1: The One Place to Understand Everything on the Internet

The first chapter of the ebook explains why Censys Search is a cybersecurity practitioner’s trusted ally. It outlines how Censys’ proprietary scanning technology provides a continuous, real-time map of internet infrastructure, enabling you to identify and understand the hosts, services, and certificates that matter most to your organization.

Censys data is superior in terms of coverage, context, and accuracy, offering visibility that is otherwise hard to achieve. Whether you’re tracking down malicious infrastructure or monitoring compliance across third-party vendors, Censys is the one platform that delivers an unfiltered, comprehensive view of global threats.

Chapter 2: Crafting Effective Queries in Censys Search

One of the most powerful features of Censys Search is its query capability, allowing users to search for everything from a specific host running a vulnerable version of a service to a certificate with a particular expiration date. This chapter walks users through how to write effective queries, starting with simple searches and advancing to more complex, detailed investigations using regular expressions (regex) and nested queries.

The ebook is packed with examples and best practices for crafting queries that help you identify vulnerabilities, track certificates, and uncover potential threats across your attack surface.

Chapter 3: 5 Ways You Could Use Censys Search

Censys Search isn’t just a tool for simple lookups—it’s an investigative powerhouse. Chapter 3 dives into five popular ways users can leverage Censys Search to enhance their security capabilities, including:

  1. Tracking Malicious Infrastructure – Uncover potential C2 servers or phishing domains before they become active threats.
  2. Identifying Vulnerable Services – Quickly pinpoint services that are outdated or vulnerable to exploitation, minimizing your risk exposure.
  3. Monitoring SSL/TLS Certificates – Stay ahead of certificate expirations and misconfigurations to avoid service interruptions or exploitation by attackers.
  4. Gaining Visibility into Third-Party Risk – Use Censys to monitor your vendors’ exposure and security posture, ensuring they don’t become your weak link.
  5. Discovering OT/IoT Devices – As operational and IoT devices become more connected, they introduce new vulnerabilities. Censys helps you find and secure these devices.

These use cases are not just theoretical; they are the core reasons why cybersecurity practitioners at Fortune 500 companies and government agencies trust Censys to keep their digital assets secure.

How to Monitor TLS/SSL Certificates in Censys Search

Chapter 4: Best Practices for Navigating Censys Search

In this chapter, we provide a roadmap to help users navigate the platform more efficiently. From leveraging historical data to using the Explore feature to pivot between findings, Chapter 4 teaches you how to accelerate your investigations. You’ll also learn how to use collaboration tools like tags and comments, making it easier for your team to work together on threat analysis and mitigation strategies.

Description of the Explore feature in Censys Search

Chapter 5: Unlocking Advanced Features of Censys Search

The power of Censys Search doesn’t stop with basic queries. Chapter 5 of the ebook dives into advanced capabilities, such as using regex queries to identify patterns, harnessing the potential of CensysGPT to accelerate your searches, and integrating Censys data into your existing security ecosystem via APIs. Whether you’re looking for more advanced tools to supercharge your investigations or ways to streamline your workflow, this chapter has you covered.

CensysGPT in Censys Search

Chapter 6: Starting Your Journey with Censys Search

The final chapter serves as a springboard for cybersecurity professionals to dive deeper into the platform. Whether you’re working on a small team or part of a large organization, Censys Search can scale to meet your needs. It also provides resources—from a knowledge base and user guides, and as well as Community Forum, to ensure you have the support you need along the way.

Ready to Unleash the Power of Censys Search?

Let Unleash the Power of Censys Search: A Hassle-Free Handbook for Cyber Heroes help you unlock the full potential of this powerful tool. With detailed guidance on how to craft queries, real-world use cases, and best practices for maximizing the platform’s advanced features, this handbook can be a valuable resource to staying one step ahead of evolving cyber threats.

Start Searching: Download the ebook now and take your Censys Search skills to the next level.

Get the Guide

About the Author

Rachel Hannenberg
Senior Content Marketing Manager
As the Senior Content Marketing Manager at Censys, Rachel Hannenberg focuses on creating content that engages and informs the Censys community. Rachel has worked in marketing content strategy for nearly a decade, including at B2B SaaS companies and in higher education.

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