Getting into networks easily, the google way
It is an old classic, of course, but I’m continually amazed at the information that can be gleaned from searches on Google.com. Everything from passwords to information about the computer setups is just a few clicks away for the malicious user who wants a launch pad for attacks on innocent networks.
Hacking is a methodology, of course. It is nearly a scientific process that starts with a hypothesis that you do your best to disprove. You start with an idea: I bet I can get into that computer network and do such and such.
Then, after formulating a thesis, you should go about disproving it. And that process starts, more often than not, with google. And google can provide everything you would ever need.
Is your thesis that a certain program can be exploited in a certain way? Google can provide you with ready made fresh installs of that program, whether it is passwords (intitle:index.of passwd passwd.bak) or Microsoft Windows 2000 servers (intitle:”Welcome to Windows 2000 Internet Services”).
Sometimes I just despair. I got into the hacker underground to learn how to harden my net, but when you see that people put up passwords and allow google to index them, I may just pat the malicious script kiddie on the back and wish him good luck, because that kind of stupidity should be punishable by law.
Leave a Reply