Google hacking

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Google hacking, also named Google dorking, [1] [2] is a hacker technique that uses Google Search and other Google applications to find security holes in the configuration and computer code that websites are using.

Contents

Basics

Google hacking involves using operators in the Google search engine to locate specific sections of text on websites that are evidence of vulnerabilities, for example specific versions of vulnerable Web applications. A search query with intitle:admbook intitle:Fversion filetype:php would locate PHP web pages with the strings "admbook" and "Fversion" in their titles, indicating that the PHP based guestbook Admbook is used, an application with a known code injection vulnerability. It is normal for default installations of applications to include their running version in every page they serve, for example, "Powered by XOOPS 2.2.3 Final", which can be used to search for websites running vulnerable versions.

Devices connected to the Internet can be found. A search string such as inurl:"ViewerFrame?Mode=" will find public web cameras.

History

The concept of "Google hacking" dates back to August 2002, when Chris Sullo included the "nikto_google.plugin" in the 1.20 release of the Nikto vulnerability scanner. [3] In December 2002 Johnny Long began to collect Google search queries that uncovered vulnerable systems and/or sensitive information disclosures – labeling them googleDorks. [4]

The list of Google Dorks grew into a large dictionary of queries, which were eventually organized into the original Google Hacking Database (GHDB) in 2004. [5] [6]

Concepts explored in Google hacking have been extended to other search engines, such as Bing [7] and Shodan. [8] Automated attack tools [9] use custom search dictionaries to find vulnerable systems and sensitive information disclosures in public systems that have been indexed by search engines. [10]

Google Dorking has been involved in some notorious cybercrime cases, such as the Bowman Avenue Dam hack [11] and the CIA breach where around 70% of its worldwide networks were compromised. [12] Star Kashman, a legal scholar, has been one of the first to study the legality of this technique. [13] Kashman argues that while Google Dorking is technically legal, it has often been used to carry out cybercrime and frequently leads to violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. [14] Her research has highlighted the legal and ethical implications of this technique, emphasizing the need for greater attention and regulation to be applied to its use.

Protection

Robots.txt is a well known file for search engine optimization and protection against Google dorking. It involves the use of robots.txt to disallow everything or specific endpoints (hackers can still search robots.txt for endpoints) which prevents Google bots from crawling sensitive endpoints such as admin panels.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Google Search</span> Search engine from Google

Google Search is a search engine operated by Google. It allows users to search for information on the Internet by entering keywords or phrases. Google Search uses algorithms to analyze and rank websites based on their relevance to the search query. It is the most popular search engine worldwide.

robots.txt Internet protocol

robots.txt is the filename used for implementing the Robots Exclusion Protocol, a standard used by websites to indicate to visiting web crawlers and other web robots which portions of the website they are allowed to visit.

CiteSeerX is a public search engine and digital library for scientific and academic papers, primarily in the fields of computer and information science.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to a website or a web page from search engines. SEO targets unpaid traffic rather than direct traffic or paid traffic. Unpaid traffic may originate from different kinds of searches, including image search, video search, academic search, news search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer Fraud and Abuse Act</span> 1986 United States cybersecurity law

The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 (CFAA) is a United States cybersecurity bill that was enacted in 1986 as an amendment to existing computer fraud law, which had been included in the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984. Prior to computer-specific criminal laws, computer crimes were prosecuted as mail and wire fraud, but the applying law was often insufficient.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cybercrime</span> Type of crime based in computer networks

Cybercrime encompasses a wide range of criminal activities that are carried out using digital devices and/or networks. These crimes involve the use of technology to commit fraud, identity theft, data breaches, computer viruses, scams, and expanded upon in other malicious acts. Cybercriminals exploit vulnerabilities in computer systems and networks to gain unauthorized access, steal sensitive information, disrupt services, and cause financial or reputational harm to individuals, organizations, and governments.

A black hat is a computer hacker who violates laws or ethical standards for nefarious purposes, such as cybercrime, cyberwarfare, or malice. These acts can range from piracy to identify theft. A Black hat is often referred to as a "cracker".

Footprinting is the technique used for gathering information about computer systems and the entities they belong to. To get this information, a hacker might use various tools and technologies. This information is very useful to a hacker who is trying to crack a whole system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Search engine</span> Software system for finding relevant information on the Web

A search engine is a software system that provides hyperlinks to web pages and other relevant information on the Web in response to a user's query. The user inputs a query within a web browser or a mobile app, and the search results are often a list of hyperlinks, accompanied by textual summaries and images. Users also have the option of limiting the search to a specific type of results, such as images, videos, or news.

Chris Sullo is a security expert known as the author of Nikto Web Scanner. He is specialized in web-security and pen-testing. He was the co-founder, CFO and Treasurer of Open Security Foundation, and creator of the RVAsec security conference. He currently works as a penetration testing specialist for the IT risk firm Focal Point Data Risk.

Google Search Console is a web service by Google which allows webmasters to check indexing status, search queries, crawling errors and optimize visibility of their websites.

Johnny Long, otherwise known as "j0hnny" or "j0hnnyhax", is a computer security expert, author, and public speaker in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DuckDuckGo</span> American software company and Web search engine

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Shodan is a search engine that lets users search for various types of servers connected to the internet using a variety of filters. Some have also described it as a search engine of service banners, which is metadata that the server sends back to the client. This can be information about the server software, what options the service supports, a welcome message or anything else that the client can find out before interacting with the server.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tailored Access Operations</span> Unit of the U.S. National Security Agency

The Office of Tailored Access Operations (TAO), now Computer Network Operations, and structured as S32, is a cyber-warfare intelligence-gathering unit of the National Security Agency (NSA). It has been active since at least 1998, possibly 1997, but was not named or structured as TAO until "the last days of 2000," according to General Michael Hayden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassidy Wolf</span> American model

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">GraphQL</span> Data query language developed by Facebook

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vault 7</span> CIA files on cyber war and surveillance

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References

  1. ↑ "Term Of The Day: Google Dorking - Business Insider". Business Insider . Archived from the original on June 19, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  2. ↑ Google dork query Archived January 16, 2020, at the Wayback Machine , techtarget.com
  3. ↑ "nikto-versions/nikto-1.20.tar.bz2 at master · sullo/nikto-versions". GitHub. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  4. ↑ "googleDorks created by Johnny Long". Johnny Long. Archived from the original on December 8, 2002. Retrieved December 8, 2002.
  5. ↑ "Google Hacking Database (GHDB) in 2004". Johnny Long. Archived from the original on July 7, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2004.
  6. ↑ Google Hacking for Penetration Testers, Volume 1. Johnny Long. 2005. ISBN   1931836361.
  7. ↑ "Bing Hacking Database (BHDB) v2". Bishop Fox. July 15, 2013. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Shodan Hacking Database (SHDB) - Part of SearchDiggity tool suite". Bishop Fox. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  9. ↑ "SearchDiggity - Search Engine Attack Tool Suite". Bishop Fox. July 15, 2013. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Google Hacking History". Bishop Fox. July 15, 2013. Archived from the original on June 3, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Seven Iranians Working for Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Affiliated Entities Charged for Conducting Coordinated Campaign of Cyber Attacks Against U.S. Financial Sector". UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  12. ↑ Gallagher, Sean. "How did Iran find Cia Spies? They googled it". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  13. ↑ Kashman, Star (2023). "GOOGLE DORKING OR LEGAL HACKING: FROM THE CIA COMPROMISE TO YOUR CAMERAS AT HOME, WE ARE NOT AS SAFE AS WE THINK". Wash. J. L. Tech. & Arts. 18 (2).
  14. ↑ Kashman, Star (2023). "GOOGLE DORKING OR LEGAL HACKING: FROM THE CIA COMPROMISE TO YOUR CAMERAS AT HOME, WE ARE NOT AS SAFE AS WE THINK". Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts. 18 (2): 1. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
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