Subdomain finder is used to identify subdomains associated with a domain name for various purposes, such as security audits, SEO research, and penetration testing.
Subdomains are extensions of a domain name that allow website owners to create separate sections of their site for different purposes, such as a blog, online store, or support portal.
Hackers can use unmonitored subdomains to steal data and engage in malicious activities, potentially harming a website’s reputation. Monitoring all subdomains linked to a website is crucial to prevent these risks.
A subdomain finder can help uncover hidden web pages, test for vulnerabilities, and improve website performance. It is used by cybersecurity professionals, digital marketers, and website administrators.
Geekflare has researched and compiled the best domain finders based on ease of use, domain scoring, and comprehensive scanning capabilities.
- WhoisXML Subdomain Lookup – Best for Developers
- Criminal IP – Best for Domain Scoring
- DNSDumpster – Best for Visualizing Subdomains
- NMMapper – Best for Simple Online Lookups
- Sublist3r – Best for Python Users
- Netcraft – Best for Historical Subdomain Data
- Knock Subdomain Scan – Best for Fast Permutation-Based Scans
- DnsRecon – Best for Kali Linux DNS Recon
- Pentest-Tools Subdomain Finder – Best for Pentesters
- MassDNS – Best for Bulk Lookups
- OWASP Amass – Best for Asset Discovery
- Show moreShow less
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WhoisXML Subdomain Lookup
Best for Developers
WhoisXML Subdomain Lookup is a part of the Domain Research Suite (DRS). It helps you discover a comprehensive list of subdomains associated with your main domain in just one click.
With its extensive database that is updated daily, WhoisXML Subdomain Lookup offers up-to-date information about subdomains.
Subdomain records include three data points: subdomains, date first seen, and date last seen.
You can access subdomain intelligence through GUI tools, API calls, or batch feeds. When you use API, query results are in XML and JSON formats for easy integration.
WhoisXML Subdomain Lookup offers three paid plans:
| Plan | Pricing | Credits Offered |
|---|---|---|
| One-time Purchase | $23 | 1,000 to 200,000 DRS |
| Monthly Subscription | $19 | 1,000 to 200,000 DRS |
| Yearly Subscription | $190 | 1,000 to 200,000 DRS |
WhoisXML Subdomain Lookup offers 500 DRS for free credit to try it. Each request costs one DRS credit.
Criminal IP
Best for Domain Scoring
Criminal IP is an open-source intelligence (OSINT) search engine that focuses on assessing attack surfaces and hunting for threats. Its domain research toolkit analyzes domain vulnerabilities and provides a score.
The domain search feature of Criminal IP allows you to find all connected domains and subdomains, as well as tons of other security insights, including:
- History of communication during page loading.
- Technical stack used in a page
- Information about certificates used on the page.
- Inspection of connected IPs to discover malicious IPs
You have an option to export the report in the PDF format.
Criminal IP offers the following paid plans: Lite plan for $65 per month, Medium plan for $349 per month, Pro plan for $1089 per month, and Enterprise plan with a price available upon request. Criminal IP also offers a free plan that comes with domain search results limited to 3 pages.
DNSDumpster
Best for Visualizing Subdomains
DNSDumpster is a free domain research tool that provides information on domain host records, DNS records, and TXT records and offers a domain map feature. It is managed by hackertarget.com.
The search utilizes data from various sources, such as search engines, web archives, security information databases, SSL certificate logs, and internet scans, to conduct a comprehensive search for hidden sub-domains and web hosts, enhancing vulnerability assessment and attack surface discovery.
NMMapper
Best for Simple Online Lookups
NMMapper is a useful tool for finding subdomains associated with your website. It utilizes eight popular subdomain finders to gather all hosts of your domain, making it an effective domain availability checker.
And the best part is you can perform concurrent target scans on all these subdomain finders. This feature helps you compare and inspect results provided by these tools to get better insights into the subdomains associated with your main domain.
NMMapper also allows you toscan each of the subdomain names you have discovered to identify servers, technology, and DNS A records. If you runmultiple domains, itcan also help you visually inspect and compare which domain has the largest sub-domain.
NMMapper offers three pricing plans:
- Standard- $5 per month with limited features
- Premium- $10 per month with the ability to export records JSON/Excel
- Professional- $15 per month with full API access and other advanced features
Sublist3r
Best for Python Users
Sublist3r is a powerful Python tool designed for subdomain enumeration using open-source intelligence (OSINT).
Well-suited for penetration testers, Python users, andbug hunters, Sublist3r finds subdomains using Ask, Baidu, Bing, Yahoo, Google, ReverseDNS, DNSDumpster, VirusTotal, and Netcraft.
What’s more,the integration ofSublist3r with SubBrute enables you to discover more subdomains through brute forcing using an improved wordlist.Sublist3r is free to use.
Sublist3r can scan found subdomains against specific TCP ports. Moreover, you can enable verbose mode to display results in real-time. It also has an option to save the results toa textfile.
Sublist3r supports Python 2 and 3 and requires Python modules like requests,dnspython, andargparseto work.
Netcraft
Best for Historical Subdomain Data
Netcraft is a leading cybersecurity company offering a family of apps and extensions for email clients, browsers, and phones to enhance cybersecurity.
Netcraft offers a free tool to discover unmonitored subdomains linked with your main website. It is an easy-to-use tool; you just have to paste your website in the search box and press the enter button on your keyboard to see subdomains.
However, Nercraft has a limitation. The search results will only show websites visited by Netcraft Extensions users at least five times in the last six months.
Netcraft’s SearchDNS tool is intuitive, and you will not encounter any difficulties using it. If you cannot use the tool optimally, explore the Search Tips section.
Knock Subdomain Scan
Best for Fast Permutation-Based Scans
Knock Subdomain Scan is a modular and portable Python3 tool designed for fast subdomain enumeration on the target domain using passive reconnaissance and dictionary scan.
With Knock Knock Subdomain Scan, you have the power to tailor your subdomain reconnaissance and brute-force attacks. You can leverage a range of customized options, including DNS servers, user agents, timeouts, and thread counts, to suit your specific needs.
Knock Subdomain Scan can integrate with VirusTotal and Shodan for enhanced scanning capabilities by setting the respective API keys.
Knock Subdomain Scan supports JSON output and the report-saving feature for better data management. Guelfoweb developed the tool, which is in version 7.0.1. It is free and offers various installation options, including via pip or git.
DnsRecon
Best for Kali Linux DNS Recon
DnsRecon is a powerful Python tooldesignedto explore DNS functionalities and enhance network security assessments. Created as a Ruby script in 2007, it has since been rewritten in Python to extend its capabilities.
DnsRecon offersvarious features to perform comprehensive DNS checks. It can verify Name Server (NS) records for zone transfers and enumerate general DNS records such as Mail Exchange (MX), Start of Authority (SOA), NS, Address (A), AAAA, Sender Policy Framework (SPF), and Text (TXT) for a given domain.
Additionally, it can perform common Service (SRV) record enumeration and expand top-level domains (TLDs).DNSRecon also includes functionality to check for wildcard resolutionand bruteforce subdomains and host A and AAAA records using a specified domain and wordlist. These insights can help you enhance your web security to prevent subdomain takeover attacks.
DnsRecon can perform Pointer (PTR) record lookups forgivenIP ranges or Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR), making it valuable for network mapping andreconnaissance. It can also check DNS server cached records for A, AAAA, and CNAME records using a list of host records provided in a text file.
To use DnsRecon, you need Python 3.6 or newer, which ensures compatibility with modern Python environments. It is a free tool that comes preinstalled on Kali.
Pentest-Tools Subdomain Finder
Best for Pentesters
Pentest-Tools Subdomain Finder helps you identify subdomains of an internet domain to understand your organization’s attack surface. It combines multiple discovery methods to return valid results for extensive reconnaissance.
Subdomain Finder validates each scan result, providing IP addresses, WHOIS details, server information, and more.
It identifies subdomains behind firewalls and supports wide-scope engagements, which makes it essential for vulnerability scanning and ethical hacking.
Subdomain Finder offers various tools for security scanning, including vulnerability scanning, WAF detection, and port scanning. It has both free and paid plans, with the paid plans offering access to 20+ security tools and features. The free plan allows for basic subdomain extraction, while the paid plan offers deeper scans and customizable options.
Here is the pricing plan for Pentest-Tools:
| Plan | Pricing | Number of Assets | Parallel Scan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $84/month | 5 | 2 |
| Advanced | $190/month | 50 | 5 |
| Teams | $395/month | 500 | 10 |
It also offers a free plan that allows you to scan up to 5 assets and run 2 parallel scans with limited features.
MassDNS
Best for Bulk Lookups
MassDNS is a high-performance DNS stub resolver that can resolve millions or billions of domain names. It can handle over 350,000 names per second with public resolvers without any particular configuration.
MassDNS supports various options for DNS queries, including custom resolver files and output formats to offer data from your chosen listof domain names. It also includes scripts for advanced tasks like subdomain brute-forcing and extracting data from certificate transparency logs.
Ideal for users who need to process a vast amount of domain names efficiently, MassDNS offers a simple yet powerful solution for large-scale DNS resolution tasks.
MassDNS is free to use. However, to use the tool optimally, you need some technical know-how.
OWASP Amass
Best for Asset Discovery
OWASP Amass is ideal for security researchers due to its ability to perform thorough network mapping of attack surfaces and external asset discovery.
OWASP Amass uses open-source intelligence gathering and reconnaissance techniques to find subdomains associated with a domain, and it is free to use.
The OWASP Amass framework comes with:
- A collection engine for asset discovery
- An asset database for storage of findings
- The Open Asset Model
For DNS-related search queries, OWASP Amass uses Brute forcing, Reverse DNS sweeping, NSEC zone walking, Zone transfers, Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) alterations/permutations, and FQDN similarity-based Guessing to provide results.
If you use a fully functional Kali Linux, OWASP Amass is already there. Go to “Application,” search for Amass, and click on it to run.
Benefits of a Subdomain Finder Tool
A subdomain finder tool is critical for efficient domain management and security, as it uncovers hidden subdomains and provides you with valuable insights.
Here are the key benefits a subdomain finder tool offers:
- Enhancing Security: By identifying hidden subdomains, a subdomain finder tool can help strengthen your website’s security defenses.
- Comprehensive Reconnaissance: Mapping out domains using a subdomain finder tool enables you to conduct thorough research and analysis.
- Time-Saving Automation: Automating the process of discovering subdomains with a finder tool helps save valuable time and resources.
- Prioritizing Vulnerability Scans: A subdomain finder tool can assist in determining which subdomains should be prioritized for vulnerability scans to prevent potential security breaches.
- Improving Incident Response: By uncovering unauthorized subdomains, a finder tool can enhance your incident response strategies and prevent potential threats.
- Brand Protection: Detecting rogue subdomains with a finder tool can safeguard your brand reputation and prevent any unauthorized usage.
- Detailed Information: Subdomain finder tools provide in-depth information such as IP addresses and WHOIS details, allowing you to assess and manage your domains effectively.
Use Cases of a Subdomain Finder Tool
Subdomain finders are essential tools in cybersecurity and IT management, offering a range of applications.
Here are some common use cases where subdomain search tools prove to be invaluable:
- Identify all subdomains for comprehensive security audits and discover hidden vulnerabilities
- Conduct thoroughreconnaissanceto mapoutthe attack surface and test subdomains for security weaknesses.
- Locate subdomains to uncover hidden vulnerabilities and increase the chances of finding exploitable issues.
- Continuously monitor subdomains for new vulnerabilities and prioritize them based on risk level.
- Investigate subdomains to understand the scope of security incidents and identify unauthorized subdomains.
- Detect and manage subdomains to prevent misuse and impersonation and protect brand reputation.
- Ensure all subdomains comply with security policies and generate reports for audits and regulatory requirements.
Here are popular penetration tools:
#1. Metasploit
Metasploitis a popular penetration tool that helps you find vulnerabilities, manage security assessments, and improve security awareness. It was developed by the open-source community and Rapid7. Metasploit Framework is a free, open-source tool, and Metasploit Pro is a paid tool.
Metasploit is built around the concepts of modules, and each module performs a specific function in penetration testing.
The key modules of Metasploit are:
- Auxiliary modules perform data gathering or administrative tasks without exploiting targets
- Exploit modules make Metasploit an exploitation tool that leverages vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code on target hosts
- Payloads execute arbitrary code on remote targets to perform tasks like creating users or opening shells
- Post modules are used after compromising a machine to gather or enumerate data from a session
#2. Nmap
Nmap (Network Mapper)is a free, open-sourcenetwork scanning tool usedfor network discovery and security auditing. It can help you Identify available network hosts, their offered services (with application names and versions), running operating systems (and versions), types of packet filters/firewalls in use, and many other crucial network characteristics
#3. Burp Suite Professional
Burp Suite Professional is an advanced version of the popular web vulnerability scanner, Burp Suite Community. With features like manual testing for out-of-band vulnerabilities, DOM Invader, advanced automatic discovery for invisible content, and faster brute-forcing, Burp Suite Pro helps you discover and fix security issues in your web applications.
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