"Dorking" is a technique that involves issuing specific commands into a given search engine to discover vulnerable applications or to harvest data.

Google Dorks

Google, being the most popular search engine, is the most well-known type of dorking. Use Google search operators to do so.

Some cool examples:

inurl:"ViewerFrame?Mode=" 

^ This will find public webcams.

db_password filetype:env

^ .env files define environment variables. These files aren't meant to be public, and here we're taking advantage of that by searching public indexed .env files passwords.

intitle:"index of" "contacts.txt"

^ "index of" in a page's title indicates a directory. Here, we're searching for "contacts.txt" within those public directories.

intitle:HP LASERJET PRO MFP inurl:/SSI/index.htm

^ This searches for indexed pages that manage HP's laserjet pro printers. If you're feeling particularly brave, the default user/password is "admin" & "password" ;)

Shodan

While google is a general search engine, Shodan is a search engine explicitly for internet-connected devices. Shodan makes dorking incredibly powerful, as it makes finding potentially vulnerable devices almost trivial.

Further Reading

• "Top 40 Shodan Dorks", https://securitytrails.com/ • "Google Hacking Database", explot-db.com • "Google Advanced Search Operators", ahrefs.com