OSINT › Module 2 › Lesson 2
Sherlock and Maigret on YOUR Handle
Official Sherlock/Maigret, HANDLE from scope, timeout 5
Visual · sherlock_maigret_self
sherlock "$HANDLE" --timeout 5 on YOUR alias only.
Opening
A username checker is a noisy doorbell. You only ring doors that are yours.
Sherlock (github.com/sherlock-project/sherlock) and Maigret (github.com/soxoj/maigret) ask many sites whether a string exists. That is useful for YOUR handle: forgotten accounts, surprise hits, a reminder to rename. It is abusive on classmates, slow on other people’s networks, and often against site terms if you spray. Cyberlium requires HANDLE from scope.env, --timeout 5, and a written refusal to aim the tool at anyone else. Original Cyberlium. Install via pipx install sherlock-project or git clone of the official repo — not a random zip. Next: WhatsMyName Namechk and social-analyzer.
1. Install from official pipes, then load YOUR HANDLE
pipx install sherlock-project (or pip install sherlock-project) isolates the CLI. If you prefer git, clone https://github.com/sherlock-project/sherlock only. Maigret: pipx install maigret or https://github.com/soxoj/maigret. Forks with “stealer” energy are out.
Read HANDLE from scope.env. If it is missing or REPLACE_, stop. You are not allowed to “just try” a celebrity nick to see the UI.
Command guide
Install from official pipes, then load YOUR HANDLE
═══ INSTALL ═══
Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):
Command — copy this
pipx install sherlock-project pipx install maigret
macOS:
Command — copy this
pipx install sherlock-project pipx install maigret
Windows:
Command — copy this
pip install sherlock-project pip install maigret
═══ LINUX / macOS ═══
Search for a username across social networks
Command — copy this
sherlock username123 --timeout 5 sherlock username123 --timeout 5 --output results.txt
Maigret — broader platform coverage
Command — copy this
maigret username123 --timeout 5 maigret username123 -o report.html
═══ WINDOWS ═══
Same commands work in PowerShell/CMD after pip install
Command — copy this
sherlock username123 --timeout 5 maigret username123 --timeout 5
2. Run with timeout on YOUR string; save YOUR report
sherlock "$HANDLE" --timeout 5 is the Cyberlium command. Timeout keeps you from hanging on dead sites. Redirect output into cyberlium-lab, chmod 600. False positives happen — a site that always says “taken” is not proof you registered there.
Maigret similarly: maigret "$HANDLE" with a short timeout if the CLI supports it. Read the report as “places to log into as yourself and lock,” not as a trophy list to publish.
3. False positives, rate limits, and what you never add
Sherlock can mark a site found when the page is a generic “search users” layout. Verify by logging in as yourself or opening YOUR URL, not by pivoting to lookalike nicks.
Never add --csv of a class roster. Never run from a shared lab account against whoever was last in the shell history. Next lesson: browser checkers WhatsMyName and Namechk, plus social-analyzer, still on YOUR alias.
4. What you ship: official install path, sherlock --timeout 5 on YOUR HANDLE, 600 report
Sherlock/Maigret from official GitHub or pipx. HANDLE from scope.env. Reports in cyberlium-lab chmod 600. No classmates. DEMO GATE.
5. What you record before the next lesson
Date. sherlock HANDLE --timeout 5. Official URLs. DEMO GATE. Files t12-sherlock-self.txt chmod 600. NEVER other people.
6. Wrong vs right: strangers vs identifiers YOU own
Worked failure — same OSINT word, opposite target. Right never needs a classmate or a dump site.
Wrong
sherlock classmate --timeout 5 “because timeout makes it ethical.” git clone a random Sherlock fork from a forum. Publish the report in a group chat.
Right
Official install. YOUR HANDLE only. Save privately. Next: WhatsMyName Namechk and social-analyzer.
Mission: ring YOUR doorbells, not the school’s
1) / STOP if router. 2) Install Sherlock from pipx or official GitHub. 3) sherlock "$HANDLE" --timeout 5 with HANDLE from scope.env. 4) chmod 600 the report. Never other names.
Stuck? Ask Cyberlium AI Mentor
Ask Mentor how to pipx install sherlock-project — not how to batch a CSV of the class.
Knowledge Check
APPLY: Which command matches this lesson?
Multiple choice
Knowledge Check
APPLY: True or False: A Sherlock “found” line is always an account you registered.
True or False
Knowledge Check
APPLY: Install source for Sherlock in Cyberlium?
Multiple choice