Google hacking is the use of a search engine, such as Google, to locate a security vulnerability
on the Internet. There are generally two types of vulnerabilities to be found on the Web: software
vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. Although there are some sophisticated intruders who target a
specific system and try to discover vulnerabilities that will allow them access, the vast majority
of intruders start out with a specific software vulnerability or common user misconfiguration that
they already know how to exploit, and simply try to find or scan for systems that have this
vulnerability.
Google is of limited use to the first attacker, but invaluable to the second.
When an attacker knows the sort of vulnerability he wants to exploit but has no specific target,
he employs a scanner. A scanner is a program that automates the process of examining a massive
quantity of systems for a security flaw. The earliest computer-related scanner, for example, was a
war dialer; a program that would dial long lists of phone numbers and record which ones
responded with a modem handshake.
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