31 July 2003

Google to Hackers' Aid

In the days of yore, hackers would break into a site by hunting for private pages containing usernames and passwords which would gain them access to a site's secure areas. Once in they would deface or bring down the site.

Google, however records these pages and caches them, making them available to hackers who can access information without alerting security monitors.

Danny Sullivan from SearchEngineWatch agrees that search engines make it easier for everone to gain information, including hackers. Google however denies they are aiding hackers, claiming there is not a lot they can do to prevent hackers.

Original release - The New Scientist