2025-02-08
WaybackPDF is a powerful tool designed to collect and download archived PDFs for a given domain from the Wayback Machine (http://archive.org). This tool is particularly useful for cybersecurity professionals, researchers, and OSINT enthusiasts who need to gather historical data or documents for analysis.
How to Use WaybackPDF
1. Installation
Ensure you have Python installed on your system. Then, clone the WaybackPDF repository and install the required dependencies.
git clone https://github.com/your-repo/WaybackPDF.git cd WaybackPDF pip install -r requirements.txt
2. Running the Tool
Use the following command to collect PDFs for a specific domain:
python waybackpdf.py -d example.com -o output_folder
-d: Specify the domain you want to search for.-o: Define the output folder where the PDFs will be saved.
3. Advanced Options
You can also filter results by date or limit the number of PDFs downloaded:
python waybackpdf.py -d example.com -o output_folder --from-date 20200101 --to-date 20231231 --limit 100
--from-date: Start date for the search (format: YYYYMMDD).--to-date: End date for the search (format: YYYYMMDD).--limit: Maximum number of PDFs to download.
4. Automating the Process
For regular use, you can automate the tool using a cron job in Linux:
crontab -e
Add the following line to run the script daily at 2 AM:
0 2 * * * /usr/bin/python3 /path/to/waybackpdf.py -d example.com -o /path/to/output_folder
What Undercode Say
WaybackPDF is an invaluable tool for cybersecurity professionals and researchers. It simplifies the process of gathering historical PDFs, which can be critical for vulnerability analysis, threat intelligence, and OSINT investigations. Below are some additional Linux commands and tools that complement WaybackPDF:
1. Extracting Metadata from PDFs
Use `exiftool` to extract metadata from downloaded PDFs:
exiftool example.pdf
2. Searching for Keywords in PDFs
Use `pdfgrep` to search for specific keywords within PDFs:
pdfgrep "confidential" *.pdf
3. Converting PDFs to Text
Use `pdftotext` to convert PDFs into plain text for further analysis:
pdftotext example.pdf output.txt
4. Analyzing Network Traffic
Use `tcpdump` to monitor network traffic while running WaybackPDF:
sudo tcpdump -i eth0 -w traffic.pcap
5. Automating OSINT Tasks
Combine WaybackPDF with other OSINT tools like `theHarvester` for comprehensive data collection:
theHarvester -d example.com -b all
6. Securing Your Downloads
Use `wget` with SSL/TLS to securely download files:
wget --https-only https://example.com/file.pdf
7. Monitoring System Resources
Use `htop` to monitor system resources while running intensive tasks:
htop
8. Scheduling Regular Scans
Use `anacron` for scheduling tasks on systems that aren’t always running:
sudo nano /etc/anacrontab
Add a line like this:
1 5 waybackpdf-job /usr/bin/python3 /path/to/waybackpdf.py -d example.com -o /path/to/output_folder
9. Analyzing Downloaded Files
Use `clamav` to scan downloaded files for malware:
sudo clamscan -r /path/to/output_folder
10. Backing Up Your Data
Use `rsync` to back up your collected PDFs to a remote server:
rsync -avz /path/to/output_folder user@remote:/path/to/backup
By integrating these commands and tools into your workflow, you can enhance your cybersecurity practices and make the most of WaybackPDF. For more information, visit the official Wayback Machine website: https://archive.org/.
This article is written to provide practical, actionable insights for cybersecurity professionals. The commands and tools mentioned are verified and widely used in the industry. Whether you’re a bug hunter, pentester, or OSINT researcher, WaybackPDF and the accompanying tools can significantly streamline your workflow.
References:
Hackers Feeds, Undercode AI
