What is Google Dorking?

Google Dorking (sometimes called Google hacking) is when hackers use search engines to identify security vulnerabilities. With a bit of time and search know-how, a hacker could figure out the best way to attack you. Eliminating your site from Google isn't smart. Your customers need to find you, and most of them will head to search engines to do that. But you can take preventive steps to ensure that hackers can't find out how to attack you via Google.

Google Dorking, also known as Google hacking, is a technique that hackers use to identify potential security vulnerabilities through search engines. By leveraging their knowledge of search algorithms and spending some time exploring your website and online presence, a hacker could potentially figure out the best way to attack your site.

Protecting against Google Dorking

While it may be tempting to simply eliminate your site from Google to prevent this from happening, this is not a practical solution for most businesses. After all, your customers rely on search engines like Google to find your website, and removing your site from search results could seriously harm your online visibility.

However, there are several proactive steps that you can take to protect your website from potential attacks. For example, you can limit the amount of sensitive information that is publicly available on your site, ensure that all software is up-to-date and secure, and use strong passwords and authentication protocols to limit unauthorized access.

In addition, it is important to stay informed about the latest security threats and vulnerabilities that are relevant to your business and industry. This can involve working with security professionals, staying up-to-date on security news and alerts, and investing in security tools and resources that can help you identify and mitigate potential threats before they become serious problems.

Ultimately, protecting your website from potential security threats is an ongoing process that requires ongoing attention and vigilance. By staying informed, taking proactive measures, and partnering with security experts as needed, you can help ensure that your online presence remains secure and protected from harm.

How does Google Dorking work?

A Google hack is a type of research session that involves using data that you or your company have made publicly available via a search engine. While this can be a useful tool for many legitimate purposes, it can also be exploited by hackers who are looking for vulnerabilities to exploit.

To protect yourself and your company from these potential threats, it is important to carefully assess what information you are making publicly available through search engines like Google. This can involve reviewing your website and online presence to identify any potential security risks, and taking steps to limit the amount of sensitive information that is available to the public.

It's worth noting that hackers could use any website for research, but because Google has such a large market share in the search engine space, it has become a popular target for these types of attacks. This is why we refer to these types of attacks as Google hacks.

While it might seem strange to use a search engine to identify security vulnerabilities, unfortunately, this technique can be highly effective. By leveraging their knowledge of search algorithms and other techniques, hackers can quickly identify potential weaknesses in your online presence that they can exploit for their own purposes.

To protect yourself and your company from these threats, it is important to stay informed about the latest security trends and vulnerabilities, and to work with security professionals as needed to ensure that your online presence is as secure as possible. This can involve taking steps to limit the amount of sensitive information that is publicly available, investing in security tools and resources, and staying vigilant for signs of potential attacks or other security threats.

Google Dorking Examples

Google dorking is great to find certain filetypes associated with key elements of operating systems and/or files relating to infrastructure, as well as finding clear-text passwords. See below for examples of Google Dorks:

Searching for RDP Web Connections

· allinurl:tsweb/default.htm

Search for OVPN File for VPN Connections

· intitle:"index of" .ovpn

Exposed SQL Database Files

· intext:"index of" ".sql"

Clear-text Passwords From Log Files

· allintext:password filetype:log after:2018

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