Week 3

This week focused on how ethical hackers can use search engines and data harvesting tools to collect publicly available information, often called open-source intelligence (OSINT). These techniques are part of the early reconnaissance phase, where hackers gather as much intel as possible without directly interacting with the target systems.

Search Engine-Based Info Gathering

We learned that regular search engines like Google can be powerful tools in the hands of a skilled hacker. By using advanced search queries (often called Google Dorking), it's possible to uncover sensitive files, exposed directories, employee details, and more, all legally and publicly available.

In addition to traditional search engines, we explored information harvester engines, which are designed specifically to collect data from a wide range of public sources.

Tools We Explored

Several specialized tools were introduced this week:

  • TheHarvester – Collects emails, names, subdomains, and other data from public sources like search engines and social media.

  • Metagoofil – Extracts metadata (such as usernames, software versions, and paths) from public documents found online.

  • Maltego – A powerful tool for visualizing relationships between people, domains, emails, and more.

We had a demo and hands-on session using TheHarvester, which showed how quickly a large amount of information can be gathered just by entering a domain name.

A key part of this week’s discussion was analyzing how this kind of passive information gathering, when combined with later testing phases, can lead to serious vulnerabilities being exploited. What seems harmless on its own — like an exposed PDF file — might actually reveal internal usernames or software details useful for attackers.

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