Online presence, cyber attackers
With almost every organization trying to have an online presence, cyber attackers are constantly trying to gather sensitive information indexed by popular search engines (such as Google) on the Internet. One of the most common methods to do this is through the use of Google Dorks. The Google Hacking Database (https://www.exploit-db.com/google-hacking-database) contains a list of some of the most effective dorks for performing such targeted searches and looking for such sensitive information. In this task, you need to write a short (half or one page) write-up about how this approach lays the foundation to search vulnerable websites. Also, you need to try and look for at least 5 hashed/encrypted passwords from websites or web applications using Google Dorks. Following this, you need to mention whether the password hashes are strong or not. You may use the website https://crackstation.net/ to check the strength of the hashes)
Sample Solution
Online presence, cyber attacks
Google dork is a search technique that enables hackers to gain access to information that corporations and individuals did not intend to make publicly available. It is also regarded as illegal Google hacking activity which hackers often uses for purposes such as cyber terrorism and cyber theft. Google’s search engine has its own built-in query language. Most popular Google dorks include: cache, securitytrails.com intext, hacking tools intitle, filetype, Microsoft.com site, and inanchor. Google almost indexes everything connected with the internet, which also includes different private information of misconfigured services. This can often be useful as well as equally harmful at the same time. You need to make sure to not log in to any of the services, even if the password is exposed, as this could get you into trouble because you don’t have permission.
