Googling Your Way Into Hacking

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Googling Your Way Into Hacking

Posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday July 31, 2003 @04:45AM from the don't-be-stupid-here-people dept.

knifee writes "New scientist is running an article explaining how hackers can use Google's cache to quickly hunt down sensitive pages, for example, by searching the terms "bash history", "temporary" and "password". Might be worth looking at this tutorial about robots.txt if you think you might be at risk." That's pretty amusing.

17 of 431 comments (clear)

Google Cache, in case of slashdotting by Anonymous Coward · 2003-07-31 04:47 · Score: 5, Funny

google
1. Re:Google Cache, in case of slashdotting by vgaphil · 2003-07-31 04:55 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Or go here google
  
  --
  A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it. -- Einstein
2. Re:Google Cache, in case of slashdotting by Scott+Hale · 2003-07-31 04:57 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Google is not affiliated with the authors of this page nor responsible for its content.
  Now I'm really confused.
3. Re:Google Cache, in case of slashdotting by SlayerofGods · 2003-07-31 05:08 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  That is really cool, the whole site is done in it. Someone try to read this and not have your head explode.
  
  --
  
  Technology, the cause of and solution to all of life's problems.
4. Re:Google Cache, in case of slashdotting by joynt · 2003-07-31 05:28 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  The sad thing is I can read it.
RIAA Logic: by connsmythe96 · 2003-07-31 04:47 · Score: 5, Funny

Google can be used to illegaly hack into computers (possibly stealing copyrighted information). Google must be shut down and all of its users owe us lots of money.

--
if(!cool) exit(-1);
Yea by mao+che+minh · 2003-07-31 04:49 · Score: 4, Funny

Must be how that guy found out that my phpnuke code had a mySQL injection flaw in the news module. My article about a Hulk doll with big penis wasn't exactly fine journalism, but I would imagine that it was better then 40 lines of "hacked by Stacey 100% brasil LOL" that it was overwritten with.
Damn script kiddies.
Re:This happens because of dumb admins, not google by numbski · 2003-07-31 04:54 · Score: 5, Funny

Wouldn't it be more fun to ln -s ~/.bash_history /dev/random instead?

Would make for interesting google logs. ;)

Don't have to worry about that particular problem. Both FreeBSD and MacOS X use tcsh by default anyway, and all of my users are Unix stupid, so they never log into shell.

--
Karma: Chameleon (mostly due to the fact that you come and go).
Forgotten by orange_6 · 2003-07-31 05:00 · Score: 4, Funny

So if I forgot my password, google can just tell me what it is? Can it tell me my credit card number too?
Re:This happens because of dumb admins, not google by Bigby · 2003-07-31 05:05 · Score: 5, Funny

Even better yet, "rm ~/.bash_history && ln -s /dev/dsp ~/.bash_history". Now everything you type will literally "sound like crap".
some guide! by mblase · 2003-07-31 05:15 · Score: 4, Funny

Long says an obvious combination of search terms would include the terms "bash history", "temporary" and "password".

Hmph. When I searched for those phrases at Google, all I got were a bunch of Linux technical how-tos and code samples. If this guy wants to teach us how to be hackers using Google, he's going to have to be more helpful than that!
Re:This happens because of dumb admins, not google by Zigg · 2003-07-31 05:15 · Score: 4, Funny

Except that it doesn't work, unless you intended to try to execute /dev/audio.
Re:This happens because of dumb admins, not google by Anonymous Coward · 2003-07-31 05:15 · Score: 5, Funny

OHMYGOD!! TEH SECURITY RAMIFICATIONS!!1!
http://custom.lab.unb.br/pub/dc e/.bash_history
pwd
ls -l
ls -l
ls -la
whoami

http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/.bash_history
vi test1
ls -l
who am i
touch test2
ls -l
pwd
cd ../business/
ls -l
vi randomfile
ls
ls -l
cd marketing
ls -l
pwd
Re:robots.txt by Jugalator · 2003-07-31 05:30 · Score: 4, Funny

ROFL -- It's also amusing when the admins don't understand what the file is for!

Look at IBM:

http://www.ibm.com/robots.txt

First comment:

Date: 19950130
By: epc
Reason: finally understood what the file was for!

At least the admin was honest, but a bit embarrasing for being on ibm.com. :-P

--
Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
Doesn't work by lawpoop · 2003-07-31 05:33 · Score: 5, Funny

I tried "bash history", "password", and "temporary", hit "I feel lucky" and I didn't get to hack anything.
I guess I don't have the patience to be a real hacker.

--
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.
-- Pablo Picasso
SCO Logic: by KillerHamster · 2003-07-31 05:34 · Score: 4, Funny

Google uses operating systems! All your code are belong to us! Google must be shut down and all of its users owe us lots of money.
Re:This happens because of dumb admins, not google by Bigbutt · 2003-07-31 05:45 · Score: 4, Funny

Well, we had a stupid admin who, as a test put the /etc/passwd file into webspace.

We had another admin who tried to su to root and typed in su [root password]. We check the logs searching for someone typing in a non-user account that looks like garbage and we notify the admin to change their password.

--
Shit better not happen!