Sherlock: Find Usernames Across Social Networks

Sherlock removes sites from its search list when they become unreliable for username enumeration. Common reasons for removal include:

• Site Downtime: The website no longer exists (e.g., elwoRU, ingvarr.net.ru, Mixer).
• Anti-Bot Protections: The site uses CAPTCHAs (e.g., CreativeMarket, YandexCollection) or Cloudflare/CloudFlair (e.g., pvpru) that prevent automated checking.
• False Positives: The site returns a successful response even when a username does not exist, often due to specific username criteria (e.g., containing periods) or login prompts (e.g., easyen, Coderwall, TamTam, Linkedin).
• Unstable Behavior: The site is highly unstable or has extremely slow response times (e.g., Zomato).
• API Changes: Subdomains or API endpoints used for checking have been decommissioned (e.g., KanoWorld).
• Username Logic Changes: The site implements logic that makes automated checking impossible, such as appending random digits to usernames (e.g., Redsun.tf).

Sherlock removes certain websites from its active search list when the current design of the tool cannot reliably determine if a username exists. Common reasons for removal include:

• Technical Limitations: The site requires JavaScript rendering (e.g., BlackPlanet), or the detection method requires a different approach (e.g., AdobeForums uses non-username-related profile URLs).
• Authentication Requirements: The site requires a user to be logged in to view profiles or check existence (e.g., Investing.com, KiwiFarms, boingboing.net).
• False Positives/Negatives: The site returns the same response for both claimed and unclaimed usernames (e.g., BlackPlanet, YandexMarket), or existing users are not detected (e.g., Codementor, EVE Online, AngelList).
• Service Changes: The service has been shut down (e.g., Google Plus) or is in a permanent state of error/maintenance (e.g., Fotolog).
• Anti-Automation: The site detects automated tools and bans the IP (e.g., Foursquare).
• Redirects: The site redirects all queries to a general landing page regardless of whether the user exists (e.g., Trip, Canva).

Sherlock removes sites from its default manifest when they become unreliable for username checking. Common reasons include:

• Authentication Walls: Sites like Munzee and HexRPG require a user to be logged in to check for existence.
• JavaScript Requirements: Sites like Quizlet require JavaScript execution to verify users, which the standard Sherlock engine may not support.
• False Positives: Sites like TikTok, Lolchess, Virgool, Whonix Forum, and ebio.gg return results that incorrectly suggest a username exists when it does not.
• Anti-Scraping/Security: Sites like Fiverr (CSRF protections), Etsy (403 Forbidden), and Penetestit (403 Forbidden) have implemented protections that block Sherlock's requests.
• Site Defunct/Offline: Sites like Bitcoin Forum or TorrentGalaxy may no longer be active.
• Blacklisting: Some sites, like Alik.cz, are explicitly blacklisted due to high traffic volumes caused by Sherlock requests.

Sherlock maintains a list of sites that have been removed from the active search list. These sites are typically removed due to one of the following reasons:

• Service Shutdown/Relocation: The site is no longer functional or has moved (e.g., Gam1ng, OGUsers, Otzovik, radio_echo_msk, Enjin, IRL, mastodon.technology).
• False Positives/Negatives: The site's current architecture (dynamic content, redirects, or login requirements) causes Sherlock to incorrectly report whether a username exists (e.g., Pinterest, Ghost, Google Developer, Arduino, Facebook, Tinder, OnlyFans, OK).
• Authentication Requirements: The site requires a login to check for user existence, making automated scraping unreliable (e.g., PCPartPicker).
• Technical Barriers: The site is behind CloudFlare or uses complex API/dynamic loading that prevents accurate detection (e.g., Ello, Google Developer).
• Legal/External Changes: The site has undergone significant changes such as being taken over by authorities (e.g., Raidforums).

Users should not expect results from these sites when running Sherlock searches.

The QueryNotify class is a base class designed to be subclassed to implement custom notification logic for query results. To create a custom notifier, inherit from QueryNotify and override the following lifecycle methods:

• start(message=None): Called before any queries are performed. Use this to initialize the notification process or display a starting message.
• update(result): Called whenever a query result is received. This method receives a QueryResult object.
• finish(message=None): Called after all queries have been completed. Use this to display final summaries or cleanup.

Note: The result attribute in the base class holds the current QueryResult object.

from sherlock_project.notify import QueryNotify

class MyCustomNotifier(QueryNotify):
    def start(self, message=None):
        print(f"Starting search for: {message}")

    def update(self, result):
        # Handle the specific result
        print(f"Found: {result.site_name}")

    def finish(self, message=None):
        print("Search finished!")

Sherlock maintains a list of sites that have been removed from the active search list. These sites are typically removed because they:

1. Return false positives: The site incorrectly reports that a username exists when it does not (e.g., Taringa, Photobucket, 4PDA, PokerStrategy, 500px, Badoo, Pling, Realmeye, Travellerspoint, Anobii, Quora, SparkPeople, TM-Ladder, plug.dj, CapFriendly, Gab, FanCentro, Countable).
2. Use Captchas/CloudFlare: Security measures like CloudFlare or site-specific captchas prevent automated username checking (e.g., AllTrails, NameMC, Steamid, Gab).
3. Require Authentication: The site requires a user to be logged in to check for other users (e.g., Kali Community).
4. Are Closed or Down: The service is no longer operational (e.g., Filmogs, Cloob, Smashcast).
5. Have Performance Issues: The site is extremely slow or causes the tool to freeze (e.g., GDProfiles, TripAdvisor, House-Mixes.com).
6. Lack a stable check method: There is no reliable way to determine if a username exists (e.g., Cent).