Experimental Async OSINT Tool VoidScan Built in Python

I Built an Experimental Async OSINT Tool in Python (VoidScan)

Secretman built VoidScan, an experimental async OSINT tool in Python, to understand async I/O and HTTP requests at scale. VoidScan scans a given username across multiple platforms and checks whether the account exists using async scanning with aiohttp.

Why This Matters

The development of VoidScan matters because it showcases the technical reality of building async-first tools for OSINT, which can be more efficient and scalable than traditional synchronous approaches. In contrast to ideal models, real-world OSINT tools like VoidScan must handle concurrency and HTTP requests at scale, making async programming a crucial aspect of their design.

Key Insights

• VoidScan uses aiohttp for async scanning, allowing it to handle multiple HTTP requests concurrently, as seen in the dev.to article by Secretman.
• The tool is built with Typer and Rich for a clean CLI architecture, demonstrating the importance of UX design in CLI tools, as discussed in the VoidScan GitHub repository.
• VoidScan’s focus on learning and experimentation highlights the value of building smaller, async-first tools for OSINT, as opposed to larger, more complete tools like Sherlock and Maigret.

Practical Applications

• Company: Secretman, Behavior: Built VoidScan to scan usernames across platforms, demonstrating a use case for async OSINT tools in cybersecurity.
• Pitfall: Not handling concurrency properly can lead to performance issues, as seen in traditional synchronous OSINT tools, highlighting the importance of async programming in such applications.

References:

• https://dev.to/secretman12lang/i-built-an-experimental-async-osint-tool-in-python-voidscan-5129
• https://github.com/secretman12-lang/voidscan