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TOOL GUIDE

Connect
The Dots.

Think of a detective movie. The detective has a big board on the wall. They pin up pictures of suspects and tie red strings between them to show how they connect. Maltego is that board, but inside your computer.

Start the Investigation
MALTEGO

Why Use A Map?

The Hard Way

Reading a long list of 1,000 email addresses is very hard. It is boring. Your brain cannot see the patterns. You might look at the list for hours and learn nothing.

The Easy Way

Looking at a picture is easy. If you see one circle connected to 50 other circles by thick lines, you instantly know what is important. Maltego turns boring words into clear pictures.

The Puzzle Pieces

Every map needs points. In Maltego, these points are called Entities. An entity is just a piece of a clue. Here are the main types of clues you can find:

People

Real humans and their online masks.

  • > Names
  • > Email Addresses
  • > Phone Numbers

Websites

Places on the internet where data lives.

  • > Web Names (Domains)
  • > Links (URLs)
  • > Social Media Pages

Computers

The machines that run the internet.

  • > IP Addresses
  • > Server Names
  • > Networks

Dangers

Bad things that can cause harm.

  • > Viruses
  • > Fake Files
  • > Scams

The Magic Button

In Maltego, you start with one single clue. You right-click it and choose a Transform. A transform is a search tool. It takes your one clue, searches the internet, and brings back new clues that are connected to the first one. Let's look at how it grows.

STEP 1: THE START

One Email Address

CLICK "TRANSFORM"
STEP 2: THE RESULT

Three New Clues Found!

A Real Story: Catching a Fake

How do people actually use this? Let us pretend we are trying to find out who made a bad website that steals passwords.

1

The Bad Website

We start with a clue. We put the fake website name (like "stealyourpassword.com") into our map.

2

Find the Computer

We click a button to ask: "What computer runs this website?" Maltego draws a line to a new box showing an IP Address.

3

Find the Buyer

We click the IP Address and ask: "Who pays for this computer?" Maltego searches records and gives us a name: "John Doe".

4

Got Them!

Now our map shows a clear path from the bad website, to the computer, right to the real person. The mystery is solved.

Where Does The Info Come From?

Maltego does not hack or break into secret files. It only looks at things that are already public. It is like an extremely fast librarian that reads the whole internet for you.

Public Records

Lists of who owns what website, company names, and public phone books.

Social Media

Public profiles, public posts, and connections people share openly.

Security Lists

Lists made by good guys that track known bad websites and viruses.

Who Needs This Tool?

The Police

Law enforcement uses it to build maps of criminal gangs, showing who talks to who.

Cyber Guards

Security teams use it to see if their company's computers are safe or if hackers are attacking them.

News Reporters

Journalists use it to uncover hidden facts and prove who is secretly paying for fake news.

Inside the Screen

When you open the program, the screen is broken into three simple parts.

1. The Palette

This is the menu on the side. It has a list of all the different puzzle pieces you can drag onto your screen.

2. The Graph

This is the big blank space in the middle. This is where you draw your map and connect the dots.

3. The Details

This is a small box that shows you the exact words and numbers behind the picture you clicked on.

Play By The Rules

Because this map-making tool is very powerful, you must use it properly. Do not spy on regular people for fun. Do not use it to bully or hurt others. Only use it to stop bad things, learn, and solve real problems safely.

Where Did It Come From?

Made in South Africa

A group named Paterva built this tool in 2007. They realized that security guards and computer experts had too much data to read. They decided to invent a visual board to make hunting bad guys easier. Today, it is used all over the world.

How To Put It On Your Computer

Maltego is not a normal website. It is a big program you have to download and install on your machine.

Windows

Works on standard Windows PCs. The most common way people use it.

Mac

Works on Apple computers. You just download the Mac file.

Linux

Used by hackers and security teams. Often comes pre-installed on special hacker computers (like Kali Linux).

IMPORTANT: It requires a helper program called "Java" to run. It will tell you if you need it.

Free Version vs. Paid Version

Community Edition (Free)

  • Costs zero dollars.
  • Great for learning at home.
  • Only shows a maximum of 10,000 dots on a map.
  • Cannot be used to make money for a business.

Pro & Classic (Paid)

  • Costs thousands of dollars.
  • Made for police and big security teams.
  • Can show 1,000,000 dots on a giant map.
  • Access to extremely secret and fast searches.

VIP Passes (API Keys)

Maltego is like a smart detective, but it doesn't know everything itself. It has to call other big databases on the phone and ask them for clues.

The Locked Door

Many databases will say, "Who are you? I will only give you clues if you have a special password." This password is called an API Key.

You have to go to those database websites, sign up, get your long messy secret code (like: 1A2B3C4D5E), and paste it into Maltego's settings. Once you do that, the locked door opens, and Maltego can pull clues from that specific website automatically.

Let The Robots Work

What are Machines?

Imagine you have 100 email addresses. If you have to click "Search" on every single one, your hand will hurt, and it will take all day.

Maltego has a feature called Machines. These are little robots you can turn on. You give the robot the 100 emails, press "Start", and the robot clicks the search buttons for you rapidly. You just sit back and watch the map build itself.

Cleaning Up The Mess

When you find hundreds of clues, your screen will look like a messy spider web. You won't be able to read anything. Maltego has instant "clean up" buttons called Layouts.

1. The Tree View

Makes the map look like a family tree. One clue at the top, branching down to the bottom.

2. The Circle View

Puts the most important clue directly in the middle, and rings all the other clues around it in circles.

3. The Block View

Stacks all the clues together in perfect little square boxes so they take up less space on your screen.

Saving Your Map

When your detective work is done, you cannot just leave it on the screen. You must save it so you can show your boss or your team. Maltego lets you export your work in simple ways:

  • Save as a Picture: Takes a giant photograph of your map (JPG or PNG).
  • Save as a PDF Report: Automatically writes a neat document showing the most important clues it found.
  • Save as a List (CSV): Turns your picture map back into a boring spreadsheet list, if you need to put it into Excel.

Working Together Live

If you buy the expensive professional version, you don't have to work alone. You and a friend in another country can log into the exact same map. If you drag a box on your screen, your friend sees the box move on their screen instantly. You can fight the bad guys as a team.

The Number One Mistake

"Dot Explosion"

The biggest mistake beginners make is asking for too much data at once.

For example, if you put "google.com" on your map, and you tell Maltego: "Find every single website connected to Google."

Maltego will try to draw 100,000 dots on your screen all at the exact same time. Your computer will freeze, crash, and shut down. Always start with tiny, specific searches.

Your First Homework

Reading is not enough. You must practice. Install the free Community Edition and try these two safe tasks today:

1

Map Yourself

Put your own email address on the blank map. Click the search button. See what public websites your email is connected to. You might be surprised.

2

Find The Server

Drag a "Website" piece onto the board. Type in the name of a big public company (like apple.com). Run the search to find the exact IP Address number of their computers.

Quick Cheat Sheet

NODE A single dot or clue on your map (like one name).
LINK The line connecting two clues together.
TRANSFORM The search tool you click to find new connected clues.
GRAPH The entire big picture showing all your dots and lines.
OSINT "Open Source Intelligence". Finding facts from public places.