Bot signals · Internet scanner
What is the TUM GINO scanner?
TUM Global Internet Observatory Scans
The Chair of Network Architectures and Services at the Technical University of Munich scans internet-facing HTTPS, DNS and IPv6 services for research. It collects only publicly visible information and never tries to exploit vulnerabilities.
01 · Profile
TUM GINO at a glance.
What to look for in your logs, and what the lookup API returns for its addresses.
- Type
- Internet scanner
- robots.txt
- Does not control scanning.
- API flag
risk.is_scanner
A user agent alone never sets a flag. Anyone can claim to be TUM GINO; the flag follows the address the request comes from.
02 · In the response
What a match looks like.
A lookup of a TUM GINO address sets risk.is_scanner. The flags come with geolocation and network data in the same response, for API keys on every paid plan.
The response says which kind of bot an address belongs to, not which operator. A request that claims to be TUM GINO while risk.is_scanner is false should not be trusted as TUM GINO.
{
// … location and network fields …
"risk": {
"is_ai": false,
"is_crawler": false,
"is_scanner": true
}
}
03 · Control
Block TUM GINO.
At the edge
- robots.txt won’t help. It does not control port or vulnerability scanning, so a block has to happen before the request reaches your app.
- Firewall, WAF or CDN. Many offer bot rules you can allow or deny by category.
- In your app. Look up the client address and allow or deny on
risk.is_scanner, alongside the user agent. - Never on the user agent alone. Blocking the name stops only honest clients; allowing it lets anyone in who borrows it.
04 · Questions
About TUM GINO.
What is TUM GINO?
The Chair of Network Architectures and Services at the Technical University of Munich scans internet-facing HTTPS, DNS and IPv6 services for research. It collects only publicly visible information and never tries to exploit vulnerabilities.
How do I block TUM GINO?
robots.txt does not control port or vulnerability scanning. Block TUM GINO at your firewall, WAF or CDN, or look up each client address and deny requests where risk.is_scanner is true.
Can I trust a request that says it is TUM GINO?
Not on the user agent alone: any client can send a bot’s name in its user agent. A user agent alone never sets a flag. Check the address with the free bot checker or the lookup API.
Which risk flag does TUM GINO set?
Its addresses set risk.is_scanner in the lookup response. The risk flags come with every paid plan.
From the blog
Go deeper.
Related bots
Recognise TUM GINO on every request.
is_ai, is_crawler and is_scanner in every lookup, on every paid plan, from 9,00 € a month (VAT included).