OSINT with Google Search
Google Dorking (or Google Hacking) is the use of advanced search operators to find hidden or sensitive information exposed unintentionally on public web servers or indexed by search engines.
Key Search Operators
| Operator | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
site: | Searches only within a specific domain. | site:target.com password filetype:pdf |
filetype: | Searches for specific file extensions. | filetype:xls confidential |
intitle: | Searches for terms in the page title. | intitle:index of backup |
inurl: | Searches for terms in the URL path. | inurl:admin.php |
Security Relevance
Ethical hackers use Google Dorking to find configuration files, network diagrams, exposed credentials, or backup files that the organization mistakenly left accessible to search engine crawlers.