Google Hacking for Penetration Testers

ISBN13: 9781597491761
Condition: New
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A self-respecting Google hacker spends hours trolling the Internet for juicy stuff. Firing off search after search, they thrive on the thrill of finding clean, mean, streamlined queries and get a real rush from sharing those queries and trading screenshots of their findings. I know because I’ve seen it with my own eyes. As the founder of the Google Hacking Database (GHDB) and the Search engine hacking forums at http://johnny.ihackstuff.com, I am constantly amazed at… More >>

Google Hacking for Penetration Testers

Google, hacking..., Penetration, Testers

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This entry was posted by Tokwear on August 25, 2010 at 10:44 AM, and is filed under Hacking 1337. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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Comments (5)

#1 written by Ben Rothke
about 1 year ago

While Google is a researcher’s friend, it is a hacker’s dream. The subtitle of Google Hacking for Penetration Testers is “Explore the Dark Side of Googling”. The dark side of Google is that far too many networks are insecure with inadequate security and enable unauthorized information to leak into Google. This leakage creates the situation where significant amounts of password files, confidential information, and configuration data and much more are easily available.

After reading Google Hacks: Tips & Tools for Smarter Searching, the real power and potential danger of Google is easily understood. Author Johnny Long details how penetration testers can harvest information that has been crawled by Google. The need for Google to be an integral part of any penetration test is now easily understood.

In a similar manner, when Dan Farmer wrote SATAN in 1995, it was met with significant consternation in that many felt he was wrong to release such a powerful program into the wild. Silicon Graphics, his employer at the time, considered his conduct unprofessional and summarily fired him. Ironically, in 2005, a security administrator can be fired if they don’t run a vulnerability scanner akin to SATAN. Running scanning tools is now part of security due diligence and any administrator not running such a tool is careless.

With that, some may think author Johnny Long gives far too much ammunition to those seeking to peruse corporate data, but those were the same mistaken objections to SATAN. The book is not meant to be a crutch for script kiddies, its aim is rather to show how Google can be used to uncover data that most companies would rather remain secured. It is simply a matter of time until such Google searches will be considered due diligence for any basic security endeavor.

The book’s 12 chapters show how one can plunder and pillage corporate data via Google. Chapters 1 and 2 provide a basic introduction to Google searching, including building Google queries, URL and operator syntax, search reduction, and more.

Chapters 3 through 10 detail the internals of Google hacking. The avenues of attack are nearly endless and various methods are detailed from traversal techniques, site crawling, tracking down Web server logins, and much more. With the sheer amount of data produced on corporate Web sites, it is hard not to have information leakage. The problem is that Google is the perfect glue to bond those disparate pieces of data together to form a dangerous set of connected data. Google is now gluing isolated data, which is dangerous data when in the wrong hands.

Chapter 11 details what can be done to protect an organization from Google hackers. While author Johnny Long may be a hacker, he is quite mainstream when he writes that the best hardware and software configuration money can buy can’t protect computing resources if an effective security policy is not in place. Long observes that a good security policy, when properly enforced, outlines the assets the organization is trying to protect, how the protection mechanisms are installed, the acceptable level of operational risk, and what do to in the event of a compromise or disaster.

Chapter 11 details the use of the robots.txt file, which can be used to block Web crawlers such as Google. The chapter also recommends the use of various tools to secure an internal Web site. Tools from Foundstone are detailed, in addition to Gooscan, a tool created by Long that enables bulk Google searches to determine how much information has leaked.

A decade ago, Google was the type of powerful search tool that was rumored to be used within the NSA. Today, petabytes of data are only a few clicks away on Google, and with the Google API, all of that information can be seamlessly integrated into a few scripts. The challenge companies face is to take security seriously and stop making it easy for their password files, payroll data, and other confidential information to be entered into Google’s server farm.

Rating: 5 / 5
#2 written by Eric Barna
about 1 year ago

An excellent book dedicated to a seemingly narrow topic. Googling is mainstream, I can’t think of one person that has traveled the internet that hasn’t stopped by Google.com at least once in their surfing career. Unfortunately, there are hackers that spend a lot of time on Google!

If you are responsible for securing your employer’s network you can not be without this indispensable reference. For less than $50 you could save your company from exposing information that can be readily used by hackers to obtain your most prized data.

Chapters 1-2 provide you with the basics of Googling. There isn’t much more information than you can get from Google’s website, but Johnny does a great job of explaining the basics of Google.

Chapters 3-10 are the meat of the book. While I’ve used Google extensively in performing penetration tests before reading this book I’ve learned many new techniques to dig deeper in less amount of time.

Chapter 11 explains how you can secure your systems from hackers using Google to gather information about your company. The chapter also introduces tools such as Gooscan. It also details methods Google has in place to remove information you’d rather not have the public see.

Chapter 12 discusses automating your Google searches with the Google API. A basic understanding of computer programming is required.

The book concludes with two appendices which will help you in developing a good strategy for security testing and securing your website.

The author’s writing style is straightforward and easy to read. Reading and absorbing this book is like taking a master’s level course in the art of information enumeration. Highly recommended for anyone administering networks connected to the Internet.

Rating: 5 / 5
#3 written by Stuart Gardner
about 1 year ago

I am involved in penetration testing on an occasional basis (my principal role is audit management, my principal interest is systems auditing), per other reviews this is an excellent resource for anyone planning or executing tests.

I have used google with simplistic searches and obtained good results (e.g. pictures of site being tested, too much detail in job postings …). This book is an excelent source of ideas and techniques, for both social engineering, and more technical tests.

It has also made me consider what the google desktop search tool could be used for, when run on key servers in internal nets.

Authors writing style is very easy to read yet packed with valuable information.

This book is likely to be of significant value to forensic investigators and for those with an interest in competitive intelligence.
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 written by Sean E. Connelly
about 1 year ago

Syngress’s “Google Hacking for Penetration Testers” (GHPT) by Johnny Long demonstrates to average Joes the power of Google. The author is the authority on how to use Google to recon an intended target. Considering the narrow focus of the subject, the book is able to thoroughly dissect the various tools and weapons Google offers. Certainly, this book is not admitting anything not already known in the hacking world, but the books does provide a valuable asset as a one-stop-shop at using Google.

First and foremost, before scouting a target, you must cover your tracks. GHPT first focuses on anonymity (I was particularly impressed with using Google as a proxy server on page 95). After masking yourself, the book focuses on network mapping, and locating exploitable targets. The book then offers 10 searches to find oodles of information that website owners probably don’t want you to have. One chapter is devoted to tips to hunt usernames and passwords. Chapter 12, on automating Google Searches, was particularly valuable to me as I’m an extreme novice at scripting.

The book is written in a very simple, plain-spoken (or, more correctly, plain-written) style. While this book should not be the first book on one’s security shelf, the subject cannot be any better defined than this book.

I give this book 4 pings out of 5:

!!!.!
Rating: 4 / 5
#5 written by Stephen Northcutt
about 1 year ago

I have been using this book for three weeks. Every time Google Hacking gets further than three feet from my keyboard, I get up, find it, put it back by my side. I first used the “recipies” in the book to locate intellectual property violations of SANS material. Next, I went on a digital painting campaign and created over 150 images and used the book to help me find the raw source material. Most recently, I have used the optimized searches the book shows one how to do to help with a research project.

Buy the book, try the searches, learn what is possible. It wouldn’t hurt to use the book for its intended purpose as well, to see what information about you, about your organization is exposed on the Internet.
Rating: 5 / 5