Google Hacking Database (GHDB)

GHDB indexes thousands of advanced searches that target information people have inadvertently left online, such as

  • Excel spreadsheets that include Social Security numbers
  • Text files with passwords
  • Sequel database backups that include passwords
  • technical drawings on network topology
  • etc.

Google Hacking

A method where creative search queries are used to uncover easily accessible public information

Useful Google Searches

“site:”
  • “site:” - limits a search to a given domain
    • ex - site:engineering.nyu.edu
  • “link:” - shows all sites linked to a specified domain
    • Useful in identifying the target's business and/or personal relationships.
    • ex - link:engineering.nyu.edu
“intitle:”
  • “intitle:” - shows pages whose title matches the search criteria
    • Useful in identifying open VPN ports, command consoles, web management and consoles for different applications.
    • ex - intitle:tandon
“inurl:”
  • “inurl:” - shows pages whose URL matches the search string
    • If we know the format of the URL for a particular management application or software, we could potentially determine if the target is using it with this search function.
    • ex - inurl:nyu
  • “related:” - shows similar pages
    • This could help to provide an indication as to the kind of business or any sort of commerce that's going on between the target and another entity.
    • ex - related:engineering.nyu.edu