Forem: 6abd

Tracking Celebrity Flights in Python!

6abd — Thu, 23 May 2024 04:44:50 +0000

Hello, everyone!

In this basic tutorial, I will be demonstrating how to develop a flight tracking program in Python. Let's go!

How to Create a Flight Tracking Program in Python

This program will fetch real-time flight data from the Aviationstack API and track aircraft using their ICAO24 identification. I'll cover everything from setting up your environment to implementing the program, as this is a beginner-friendly tutorial. The complete code is available at Horus on GitHub, so feel free to leave a star or contribute in other ways.

Prerequisites

Before we start, ensure you have the following:

Basic Python Knowledge: Understanding of basic Python programming concepts.
Python Itself: Python installed on your machine.
Required Libraries: Requests and Colorama libraries for handling API requests, parsing data, and styling console output respectively.

Setting Up the Environment

Python Installation

Download and install Python from the official Python website.

Installing Required Libraries

Install the necessary Python libraries using pip:

pip install requests colorama

Understanding APIs

What is an API?

An API allows applications (like this one!) to communicate with external services/websites. In this case, we'll be using the Aviationstack and OpenSky APIs to fetch flight data.

Flight Tracking API Options

There are several APIs available for flight data. In this tutorial, we will use:

Aviationstack API: For real-time flight data.
OpenSky Network API: For tracking aircraft using their ICAO24 identification.

API Key Registration

Fetching Flight Data

We will use the requests library to make API calls and fetch flight data.

Implementing the Flight Tracking Program

Below are snippets of the key parts of the flight tracking program. For the complete code, refer to the Horus GitHub repository.

Formatting Templates

I have made output formatting templates using Colorama already (optimized for terminal use). Here they are for your convenience, they will be used throughout the code:

from colorama import Fore # For text colour.

# Config (Prints).
text = (f"{Fore.WHITE}") # Change the colour of text output in the client side
dividers = (f"{Fore.LIGHTRED_EX}") # Changes the [], | and : in the client side
success = (f"{Fore.WHITE}[{Fore.GREEN}SUCCESS{Fore.WHITE}]") # Success output.
successfully = (f"{Fore.WHITE}[{Fore.GREEN}SUCCESSFULLY{Fore.WHITE}]") # Successfully output.
failed = (f"{Fore.WHITE}[{Fore.LIGHTRED_EX}FAILED{Fore.WHITE}]") # Failed output.
prompt = (f"{Fore.WHITE}[{Fore.YELLOW}»{Fore.WHITE}]") # Prompt output.
notice = (f"{Fore.WHITE}[{Fore.YELLOW}!{Fore.WHITE}]") # Notice output.
question =  (f"{Fore.WHITE}[{Fore.YELLOW}?{Fore.WHITE}]") # Alert output.
alert =  (f"{Fore.WHITE}[{Fore.LIGHTRED_EX}!{Fore.WHITE}]") # Alert output.
exited = (f"{Fore.WHITE}[{Fore.LIGHTRED_EX}EXITED{Fore.WHITE}]") # Execited output.
disconnected = (f"{Fore.WHITE}[{Fore.LIGHTRED_EX}DISCONNECTED{Fore.WHITE}]") # Disconnected output.
command = (f"\n[{Fore.YELLOW}>_{Fore.WHITE}]: ") # Always asks for a command on a new line.

Determining what to filter/search by

In order to allow the user to access the most applicable data to them, we should get input on what they would like to search by. This can be done by the following code:

print(f'{notice} How would you like to filter flight data? (icao24, number, date, dep_iata, arr_iata or status) ')
option = input(f'{command}').lower()

Fetching Flight Data by different methods

The Aviationstack API allows users to filter flight data results by number. We can get that URL with requests, parse the data, and make dictionary calls for each piece of data we want. Then, we can print this in a readable way and add separators for each API search result. We need to have a different section of code for each filtering method, as some responses have different JSON structures than others.

We can filter Aviationstack API's results by the following methods:

Flight Number
Date
Departure IATA
Arrival IATA
Flight Status
ICAO24 ( Aircraft specific, my personal favorite :) )

The code for each method is shown below, with an if statement initiating each section based on input from before:

Fetching Flight Data by Flight Number

if option == 'number':
    number = input(f"{question} Enter a flight number: ")
    data = requests.get(f"http://api.aviationstack.com/v1/flights?access_key={key}&flight_number={number}").json()['data']
    for i in range(0,len(data)):
        print(f"Airline Name: {data[i]['airline']['name']}")
        print(f"Flight Date: {data[i]['flight_date']}")
        print(f"Status: {data[i]['flight_status']}")
        print(f"Departure Airport: {data[i]['departure']['airport']}")
        print(f"Departure Timezone: {data[i]['departure']['timezone']}")
        print(f"Departure IATA/ICAO: {data[i]['departure']['iata']} | {data[i]['departure']['icao']}")
        print(f"Departure Terminal/Gate: {data[i]['departure']['terminal']}{data[i]['departure']['gate']}")
        print(f"Estimated Departure: {data[i]['departure']['estimated']}")
        print(f"Actual Departure: {data[i]['departure']['actual']}")
        print(f"Arrival Airport: {data[i]['arrival']['airport']}")
        print(f"Arrival Timezone: {data[i]['arrival']['timezone']}")
        print(f"Arrival IATA/ICAO: {data[i]['arrival']['iata']} | {data[i]['arrival']['icao']}")
        print(f"Arrival Terminal/Gate: {data[i]['arrival']['terminal']}{data[i]['arrival']['gate']}")
        print(f"Estimated Arrival: {data[i]['arrival']['estimated']}")
        print(f"Actual Arrival: {data[i]['arrival']['actual']}")
        print("-------------------------------------------------------------------")

Fetching Flight Data by Date

if option == 'date':
    date = input(f"{question} Enter a flight date (YYYY-MM-DD): ")
    data = requests.get(f"http://api.aviationstack.com/v1/flights?access_key={key}&date={date}").json()['data']
    for i in range(0,len(data)):
        print(f"Airline Name: {data[i]['airline']['name']}")
        print(f"Flight Date: {data[i]['flight_date']}")
        print(f"Status: {data[i]['flight_status']}")
        print(f"Departure Airport: {data[i]['departure']['airport']}")
        print(f"Departure Timezone: {data[i]['departure']['timezone']}")
        print(f"Departure IATA/ICAO: {data[i]['departure']['iata']} | {data[i]['departure']['icao']}")
        print(f"Departure Terminal/Gate: {data[i]['departure']['terminal']}{data[i]['departure']['gate']}")
        print(f"Estimated Departure: {data[i]['departure']['estimated']}")
        print(f"Actual Departure: {data[i]['departure']['actual']}")
        print(f"Arrival Airport: {data[i]['arrival']['airport']}")
        print(f"Arrival Timezone: {data[i]['arrival']['timezone']}")
        print(f"Arrival IATA/ICAO: {data[i]['arrival']['iata']} | {data[i]['arrival']['icao']}")
        print(f"Arrival Terminal/Gate: {data[i]['arrival']['terminal']}{data[i]['arrival']['gate']}")
        print(f"Estimated Arrival: {data[i]['arrival']['estimated']}")
        print(f"Actual Arrival: {data[i]['arrival']['actual']}")
        print("-------------------------------------------------------------------")

Fetching Data by Departure IATA

if option == 'dep_iata':
    dep_iata = input(f"{question} Enter a flight departure IATA: ")
    data = requests.get(f"http://api.aviationstack.com/v1/flights?access_key={key}&dep_iata={dep_iata}").json()['data']
    for i in range(0,len(data)):
        print(f"Airline Name: {data[i]['airline']['name']}")
        print(f"Flight Date: {data[i]['flight_date']}")
        print(f"Status: {data[i]['flight_status']}")
        print(f"Departure Airport: {data[i]['departure']['airport']}")
        print(f"Departure Timezone: {data[i]['departure']['timezone']}")
        print(f"Departure IATA/ICAO: {data[i]['departure']['iata']} | {data[i]['departure']['icao']}")
        print(f"Departure Terminal/Gate: {data[i]['departure']['terminal']}{data[i]['departure']['gate']}")
        print(f"Estimated Departure: {data[i]['departure']['estimated']}")
        print(f"Actual Departure: {data[i]['departure']['actual']}")
        print(f"Arrival Airport: {data[i]['arrival']['airport']}")
        print(f"Arrival Timezone: {data[i]['arrival']['timezone']}")
        print(f"Arrival IATA/ICAO: {data[i]['arrival']['iata']} | {data[i]['arrival']['icao']}")
        print(f"Arrival Terminal/Gate: {data[i]['arrival']['terminal']}{data[i]['arrival']['gate']}")
        print(f"Estimated Arrival: {data[i]['arrival']['estimated']}")
        print(f"Actual Arrival: {data[i]['arrival']['actual']}")
        print("-------------------------------------------------------------------")

Fetching Data by Arrival IATA

if option == 'arr_iata':
    arr_iata = input(f"{question} Enter a flight arrival IATA: ")
    data = requests.get(f"http://api.aviationstack.com/v1/flights?access_key={key}&arr_iata={arr_iata}").json()['data']
    for i in range(0,len(data)):
        print(f"Airline Name: {data[i]['airline']['name']}")
        print(f"Flight Date: {data[i]['flight_date']}")
        print(f"Status: {data[i]['flight_status']}")
        print(f"Departure Airport: {data[i]['departure']['airport']}")
        print(f"Departure Timezone: {data[i]['departure']['timezone']}")
        print(f"Departure IATA/ICAO: {data[i]['departure']['iata']} | {data[i]['departure']['icao']}")
        print(f"Departure Terminal/Gate: {data[i]['departure']['terminal']}{data[i]['departure']['gate']}")
        print(f"Estimated Departure: {data[i]['departure']['estimated']}")
        print(f"Actual Departure: {data[i]['departure']['actual']}")
        print(f"Arrival Airport: {data[i]['arrival']['airport']}")
        print(f"Arrival Timezone: {data[i]['arrival']['timezone']}")
        print(f"Arrival IATA/ICAO: {data[i]['arrival']['iata']} | {data[i]['arrival']['icao']}")
        print(f"Arrival Terminal/Gate: {data[i]['arrival']['terminal']}{data[i]['arrival']['gate']}")
        print(f"Estimated Arrival: {data[i]['arrival']['estimated']}")
        print(f"Actual Arrival: {data[i]['arrival']['actual']}")
        print("-------------------------------------------------------------------")

Fetching Flight Data by Flight Status

if option == 'status':
    status = input(f"{question} Enter a flight status (scheduled, active, landed, cancelled, incident, diverted): ")
    data = requests.get(f"http://api.aviationstack.com/v1/flights?access_key={key}&status={status}").json()['data']
    for i in range(0,len(data)):
        print(f"Airline Name: {data[i]['airline']['name']}")
        print(f"Flight Date: {data[i]['flight_date']}")
        print(f"Status: {data[i]['flight_status']}")
        print(f"Departure Airport: {data[i]['departure']['airport']}")
        print(f"Departure Timezone: {data[i]['departure']['timezone']}")
        print(f"Departure IATA/ICAO: {data[i]['departure']['iata']} | {data[i]['departure']['icao']}")
        print(f"Departure Terminal/Gate: {data[i]['departure']['terminal']}{data[i]['departure']['gate']}")
        print(f"Estimated Departure: {data[i]['departure']['estimated']}")
        print(f"Actual Departure: {data[i]['departure']['actual']}")
        print(f"Arrival Airport: {data[i]['arrival']['airport']}")
        print(f"Arrival Timezone: {data[i]['arrival']['timezone']}")
        print(f"Arrival IATA/ICAO: {data[i]['arrival']['iata']} | {data[i]['arrival']['icao']}")
        print(f"Arrival Terminal/Gate: {data[i]['arrival']['terminal']}{data[i]['arrival']['gate']}")
        print(f"Estimated Arrival: {data[i]['arrival']['estimated']}")
        print(f"Actual Arrival: {data[i]['arrival']['actual']}")
        print("-------------------------------------------------------------------")

Fetching Flight Data by ICAO24

This method of search is quite different, as we are using the Opensky API. There is also less available data, as it relates to the specified aircraft.

if option == 'icao24':
    icao24 = input(f"{question} Enter a plane icao24: ")
    begin = input(f"{question} Enter a begin Unix timestamp for the flights interval: ")
    end = input(f"{question} Enter an end Unix timestamp for the flights interval: ")
    data = requests.get(f"https://opensky-network.org/api/flights/aircraft?icao24={icao24}&begin={begin}&end={end}").json()
    for i in range(0,len(data)):
        print(f"Aircraft Callsign: {data[i]['callsign']}")
        print(f"Departure Airport (Estimated): {data[i]['estDepartureAirport']}")
        print(f"Arrival Airport (Estimated): {data[i]['estArrivalAirport']}")
        print(f"Arrival Airport (Estimated): {data[i]['estArrivalAirport']}")
        print(f"First Seen: {data[i]['firstSeen']}")
        print(f"Last Seen: {data[i]['lastSeen']}")
        print("-------------------------------------------------------------------")

Conclusion

This feature is a part of my OSINT / digital forensics project, Horus. For the complete code to this project visit the Horus GitHub repository. You can support Horus by leaving a star!

References and Resources

How my open source tool got 100 stars in 4 days!

6abd — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 04:19:39 +0000

Hey everyone!

I am currently working on a tool called Horus. Originally meant to be part of a renowned forensics operating system, I have decided to continue the project as currently its sole developer.

What Horus does:

Horus is an all-in-one encompassing tool for investigations assistance, from API leveraging to compiling data. It is still a work in progress, but feel free to check out the GitHub page here. Horus has many features, ranging from IP tracking to Virustotal scans, all from your terminal!

How I got Horus to over 100 stars on GitHub:

Getting to 100 stars in this short amount of time wasn't as easy as it may seem. A lot of work went into growing the project.

Firstly, I began by researching advertisement methods. I came across this great tool called Gitroom that allowed me to schedule posts. I scheduled posts for here, Hashnode, and Reddit. Out of all of these platforms, Reddit was the most successful. Engagement was very high and it garnered me the most clickthroughs to my repository.

Secondly, with this "best platform" in mind, I continued posting on Reddit, in multiple communities. Rather than posting multiple times a day and spewing spam, I created an article on a use-case of my tool and advertised it, along with the base of the project. I also searched for new communities to post in everyday to attract new eyes.

Lastly, my project grew on its own! After posting on various sites, Twitter users with decently sized followings began posting my repository, without me even having to contact them! The niche that my tool fits into (cybersecurity, OSINT, and forensics-related stuff) allowed my tool to be promoted easily by accounts that post things in that realm.

What can you do to get stars?

For any readers that want to replicate or exceed what I did with Horus, here are some tips:

Focus your project on a niche - this allows easy promotion as previously mentioned and focuses in on a subgroup of people
Advertise consistently - For me, Reddit was the best for this. Don't get discouraged if you are met with some blunt comments, it happened to me and it will likely happen to you if you advertise on Reddit, LOL!
Vary where you advertise - Even though Reddit was successful for me, it doesn't mean it will be the best fit for your project. Advertise in many places to maximize exposure and the possibility of others promoting your project for you.
Be willing to address critiques - When I first launched Horus, it was called Sentinel. The most common advice I was given was to change the name. What made me apprehensive to that idea was the way that it was said to me. Because I advertised on Reddit a lot, negativity was common, especially in this case. However, the amount of people asking me to change the name was enough to convince me to change it. Be willing to take criticism, no matter the form.

Check out Horus!

If you liked my story and tips, feel free to check out Horus! I just released v1.2.1, so there are a couple new features you might find interesting. It is completely free and open source, so the only thing I ask of any potential users is a star, share, or even just a simple hello in our Discord server! Any contributions are welcome!

Tracking Snoop Dogg's $4M Crypto Wallet with My New Open Source Tool!

6abd — Sat, 13 Apr 2024 12:00:01 +0000

Hey everyone!

I am currently working on a tool called Horus. Originally meant to be part of a renowned forensics operating system, I have decided to continue the project as currently its sole developer.

What Horus does:

How I used Horus to track Snoop Dogg's crypto transactions:

In order to get a record of Snoop Dogg's transaction history through Horus, I first found his Ethereum wallet address online. I found two main addresses, but chose to use this address: 0xce90a7949bb78892f159f428d0dc23a8e3584d75

After gathering that information, I opened up Horus through the terminal, navigated to its Cryptotracer feature, and entered the currency (ETH) and address.

Here is a quick demo on what I did:

Try it yourself!

Horus is completely free and open source, so the only thing I ask of any potential users is a star, share, or even just a simple hello in our Discord server! Any contributions are welcome!

Getting Started with Selenium (Python)

6abd — Sat, 15 Apr 2023 01:36:27 +0000

Introduction

Selenium is a powerful tool for automating web browsers, and it can be especially useful for web developers looking to test their applications or automate repetitive tasks. Here are some useful commands for working with Selenium in Python.

Installing Selenium

Before we can use Selenium, we need to install it. We can install Selenium using pip, the Python package manager. Simply open a terminal or command prompt and type:

pip install selenium

Starting a Browser Session

To begin working with Selenium, we need to start a browser session. We can do this with the webdriver module. Here's an example of starting a session with Chrome:

from selenium import webdriver

driver = webdriver.Chrome()

This will start a new Chrome window, and the driver object will be our interface for interacting with the browser.

Navigating to a URL

Once we have a browser session, we can navigate to a URL using the get method. Here's an example:

driver.get("https://www.example.com")

This will load the specified URL in the browser window.

Finding Elements

One of the most powerful features of Selenium is its ability to find elements on a web page. We can do this using the find_element method. Here are a few examples:

# Find an element by ID
find_element(By.ID, "id")

# Find an element by name attribute
find_element(By.NAME, "name")

# Find an element by xpath
find_element(By.XPATH, "xpath")

# Find a hyperlink
find_element(By.LINK_TEXT, "link text")
find_element(By.PARTIAL_LINK_TEXT, "partial link text")

# Find an element by its tag name
find_element(By.TAG_NAME, "tag name")

# Find an element through its class name
find_element(By.CLASS_NAME, "class name")

# Find an element with its CSS selector
find_element(By.CSS_SELECTOR, "css selector")

Once we have a reference to an element, we can interact with it in various ways. For example, we can get its text content with the text attribute:

# get the text content of an element
text = element.text

Additional Information

Since this is just a basic introduction, a lot of aspects of Selenium have been left out. For the full documentation, head to their official doc site.