Google Digging:Passwords n Infos

Introduction

This is not about finding sensitive data during an assessment as much as
it is about what the “bad guys” might do to troll for the data.The examples presented
generally represent the lowest-hanging fruit on the security
tree. Hackers target this information on a daily basis.To protect against this type
of attacker, we need to be fairly candid about the worst-case possibilities.We
won’t be overly candid, however.
We start by looking at some queries that can be used to uncover usernames,
the less important half of most authentication systems.The value of a username is
often overlooked, but, an entire multimilliondollar
security system can be shattered through skillful crafting of even the
smallest, most innocuous bit of information.
Next, we take a look at queries that are designed to uncover passwords. Some
of the queries we look at reveal encrypted or encoded passwords, which will take
a bit of work on the part of an attacker to use to his or her advantage.We also
take a look at queries that can uncover cleartext passwords.These queries are some
of the most dangerous in the hands of even the most novice attacker. What could
make an attack easier than handing a username and cleartext password to an
attacker?
We wrap up by discussing the very real possibility of uncovering
highly sensitive data such as credit card information and information used to
commit identity theft, such as Social Security numbers. Our goal here is to
explore ways of protecting against this very real threat.To that end, we don’t go
into details about uncovering financial information and the like. If you’re a “dark
side” hacker, you’ll need to figure these things out on your own.

Searching for Usernames
Most authentication mechanisms use a username and password to protect information.
To get through the “front door” of this type of protection, you’ll need to
determine usernames as well as passwords. Usernames also can be used for social
engineering efforts, as we discussed earlier.
Many methods can be used to determine usernames. In Chapter 10, we
explored ways of gathering usernames via database error messages. In Chapter 8
we explored Web server and application error messages that can reveal various
information, including usernames.These indirect methods of locating usernames
are helpful, but an attacker could target a usernames directory
query like “your username is”. This phrase can locate help pages that describe the
username creation process,
information gleaned from other sources, such as Google Groups posts or phone
listings.The usernames could then be recycled into various other phases of the
attack, such as a worm-based spam campaign or a social-engineering attempt.An
attacker can gather usernames from a variety of sources, as shown in the sample
queries listed
Sample Queries That Locate Usernames

Searching for Passwords
_ Passwords can also be found in a variety locations.
_ A query such as “Your password” forgot can locate pages that provide a
forgotten-password recovery mechanism.
_ intext:(password | passcode | pass) intext:(username | userid | user) is
another generic search for locating password information.