vt-cli

vt-cli, also known as VirusTotal Command-Line, is a handy tool you can use right from your desktop. It lets you perform command-line scans, check URLs, verify IPs, and access VirusTotal's collection of live reports. Plus, you can use it for more advanced tasks like calling the VirusTotal API for various checks.

Get Started with vt-cli

The VirusTotal binaries are available in two formats to support both 32-bit and 64-bit systems. One cool thing about these tools is that they don’t need installation! This portability makes them perfect for system admins and network specialists alike. Since you can access them via the command line interface (CLI), they’re super compatible with different systems.

How to Use vt-cli

To launch vt-cli on Windows, open a command-line tool in admin mode. To see what commands are available, just type 'vt.exe' followed by 'help'. You’ll find some commands have sub-commands or arguments that let you customize your searches.

Customizing Your Search

You can even set up a proxy, analyze reports, manage outputs in local files, and configure auto-completion for typing commands. If you're looking for better auto-completion options than the Windows console offers, check out Cygwin.

The Power of VirusTotal

So what’s VirusTotal? It's a service that provides security checks by gathering data from multiple online sources and scanning engines. This includes Yara signatures—a unique product from VirusTotal itself!

API Access & Limits

If you sign up for a free user account and use public API calls, keep in mind there are some limits: no more than 4 lookups per minute, 500 lookups daily, or a monthly cap of 15.5K searches.

Using the APIv3

With VirusTotal's APIv3, you can follow REST principles to get consistent outputs while speeding up your processes. You’ll also be able to manage requests and handle errors using JSON.

Getting Your API Key

The first step to configuring the VirusTotal API is done in the vt-cli window with the 'init' command. After that, you'll need to enter your API key, which you can get from your VirusTotal account online.

Analyzing Data with VT Calls

The VT calls are great for observing and analyzing files, hashes, domains, IPs, and SSL certificates. They’re also useful if you want to create telemetry alerts or integrate Yara rules to identify threats effectively.

Dive Deeper into Features

If you're curious about all that VirusTotal can do—like comparing public versus premium API options—make sure to read this manual.