Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Google Hacking

I'm sure almost everyone of you have used Google search engine before. It has become one of our best friends now. If you want to know some thing, what do you do? You Google it. Right? Well, at least I do. Google can be used to search for much more than you can imagine and it can be fun too. I am talking about Google hacking here.

According to Wikipedia, Google hacking is the art of creating complex search queries to filter through large amounts of search results for information related to computer security.

Here are some techniques that you could use with your search query.

  • To search for a phrase, use the double quotes (" ") around the phrase.
  • Use the plus sign (+) to force a search for an overly common word. Use the minus sign (-) to exclude a term from a search.
  • To search a specific web site or domain, use [inurl:] and type the search term.
  • To search for a term within the title of a document, use [intitle:] before the search term.
Here is a list of all the Google search operators.



By the help of these operators in your search queries you can make your search results a little more interesting. You could also include terms like [.gov], [.mil], [.doc], [.xls], [.mdb] in your search results. Below I will list some of the search queries that generated interesting search results. Just copy and paste them in Google search bar and start exploring. You can also make your own search queries just like these. Use your imagination. No promises though.

  • allinurl: admin mdb
  • maldives.xls (and also try with .doc and .pdf)
  • ?intitle:index.of? mp3 (followed by the song/artist name)
  • intitle:"Index of" config.php
  • intitle:index.of + pdf + ebook
  • inurl:"viewerframe?mode=refresh"
  • intitle:"usage statistics for" "generated by webalizer"
  • password.doc

PS: Have a look at Googlism. Type your name there and see what Google thinks of you.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

here's one I use very often:

DEFINE: ____________


*in the blank write the word which's meaning u wanna find. for example:

DEFINE: dynamics

n it will get u the meaning of dynamics

Anonymous said...

*dont use capital letters..

use simple letters. for example:

define: dynamics

Tony Safina said...

Gosh y'all are just citing regular Google syntax, that's not "Google hacking." Google hacking is where you use legitimate search methods to find stuff most people could never find with Google but people with a real knack for searching and a bit of deviousness can. They can find their fav mp3s, cool ebooks, free photos of anything you can imagine, and more. But if you're just a scholarly type (like me) you can find great white papers and great journal articles. I am not one of the best Google searchers there are because I don't use Google 20 hours a day, 7 days a week. But I do need journal literature on occasion on a variety of subjects. If I want to be fairly sure my research yields authoritative stuff I use site:.org or site:.edu in my search. If I want materials that look like they were professionally typeset I use ext:pdf or ext:rtf in my search. And if I want to greatly increase the chances my finds are copies of journal articles I use figure.1 or table.1 because almost all journal articles contain figures or tables. Those three things in a search greatly increase the stuff I'll find that is on point. I am not a Google Hacker by any stretch of the imagination. I just use everyday Google syntax to help me find what I need. That's called good search technique. Using Google syntax effectively is not Google hacking, it is just good searching. I hate the term "Google hacking" because it sounds illegal, whereas good Google searching just sounds smart. There is a difference. Don't make me feel like a hacker when all I want to be known as is a good searcher.

autodynamix said...

nass - thanks for the tip

tony - like u said i did find tons of mp3's and ebooks with those search terms (plus a few others which i didnt write down here). and these search terms are not everything there is to this. this is just scratching the surface. and i dont claim to be a hacker or anything. but thanks for your tips too.

blackdeth said...

hmmm xan any one of u help me find sum "true" info about hacking...

foniboki said...

yep, i also use define, &, "" very often

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