---
title: "Basic Search & Search Results"
slug: "basic-search-search-results"
updated: 2026-07-14T18:47:31Z
published: 2026-07-14T18:47:31Z
canonical: "knowledge.threatconnect.com/basic-search-search-results"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://knowledge.threatconnect.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Basic Search & Search Results

## **ThreatConnect 101**

### **Basic Search & Search Results**

*This video details how to utilize the search feature within the threat platform to locate relevant intelligence effectively.* [ThreatConnect101: Search Video](https://fast.wistia.net/embed/iframe/bd9tl0rcu9?web_component=true&seo=false&videoFoam=false)

### **Guide: Basic Search & Search Results**

*Search is how you'll interact with ThreatConnect every day, whether you're checking a suspicious IP, looking up a CVE, or finding every report on a threat actor. This guide walks through the global search bar, how to read your results, and how to filter them down.*

#### **Key Steps:**

1. **Click the search bar** at the top of any screen and enter a search term; for example, a specific CVE ID.
2. **Review the preview list of closest matches.** For a CVE search, the matching vulnerability (Group) object typically appears at the top.
3. **Click into the preview to expand details** without leaving the results page, or click the pop-out icon to open the full details page.
4. **Click “View All Results”** to open the global search results view and review the available columns: Why it matched, Object type, Name, Owner, Tags, Threat Assess Score (for indicators), and Date Added / Last Modified.
5. **Hide any columns you don't need** to reduce visual clutter. For example, remove Threat Assess Score or Tags if they're not relevant to your current task.
6. **Use the object type filter to narrow results.** For example, filter down to just Groups, then further to just Vulnerabilities, to remove noise like unrelated tags or events.
7. **Use the Filters option for more granular control**: filter by date added/modified, by why an item matched, and (for indicators) by Threat Assess Score range.
8. **Toggle Exact Match** on to remove partial matches and return only objects that match your search term precisely. It's a good habit to start with Exact Match on, especially for CVEs, IPs, or actor names - it saves you from filtering down step by step afterward.
9. From any result row, **use the available quick actions**: preview the object, pop out to its full details page, pivot into the Threat Graph, or create a report tied to that object.

#### **Good to know:**

- **Global search** casts a wide net, it searches object names, tags, attributes, and even text inside uploaded documents (including PDFs). If a result surprises you, that's usually why.
- The “**Why it matched**” column is easy to miss but is the fastest way to diagnose an unexpected result.
- Search results **can include tag objects** themselves, not just objects tagged with your search term. Use the object type filter to remove tag objects if they're cluttering your results.
- If results ever look incomplete, **double-check your owner/source filter.**