One day, in the year 2006, I was sitting in my 10th grade computer class when my teacher, Mr. Fernholz, said something that would change my life forever.
"Today class, we're going to learn how to Google."
I remember thinking to myself, "Google? Isn't that that new search engine that's been getting all the buzz lately?"
Turns out, I was right. And boy, was I in for a treat.
Mr. Fernholz proceeded to show us how to use this newfangled search engine to find just about anything on the internet. He showed us how to use all sorts of different operators and tricks to narrow down our searches and find exactly what we were looking for. Fernholz taught us how to Google like a pro.
I was blown away.
Suddenly, the internet didn't seem so overwhelming anymore. I felt like I could conquer it.
This was a turning point for me. From then on, I became fascinated with all things tech. I went on to study computer science in college and eventually pursued a career in cybersecurity.
And it all started with learning how to Google (and a ton of other cool and useful skills Mr. Fernholz taught us with technology).
I'll admit it, I'm a Googler. I've been Googling since the early days of Google, and I'm pretty darn good at it. In fact, I consider myself to be a bit of a Google Guru.
As a cybersecurity professional, I often find myself Googling for answers to various questions and problems. And while I consider myself to be quite proficient in this skill, I understand that there is always more to learn.
After all, the field of cybersecurity is constantly changing and evolving, which means that those of us working in this field need to constantly update our skills and knowledge.
If you don't know how to use Google, you're in trouble.
One of the most important skills for any cybersecurity professional is the ability to quickly and efficiently search for information. This is especially critical when an incident occurs and time is of the essence.
In addition to being a critical skill for cybersecurity professionals, knowing how to effectively search for information is also critical for OSINT (open source intelligence).
Being able to find the right information quickly and efficiently can mean the difference between uncovering a critical piece of intelligence and missing out on something important.
When planning an attack, it is important to gather as much information as possible about the target. This information can be used to determine the best way to approach the target and what weaknesses to exploit. OSINT can play a critical role in this process, and knowing how to effectively search for information during your passive information gathering can give you a significant advantage.
Equally, knowing how to Google properly and effectively can mean the difference between mitigating a serious security issue and allowing it to spiral out of control.
That's why honing one's Googling skills is so important. It's not just about knowing the various search operators (though that's certainly a part of it). It's also about thinking critically and being able to take in large amounts of data under pressure.
So if you're looking to improve your Googling skills, here are 6 tips to get you started:
Know the various search operators
One of the most important things to know when Googling for information is the various search operators. These are the symbols and terms that you can use to help narrow down your search results.
For example, the search operator "site:" allows you to search for a specific keyword on a specific website. So if you wanted to find all the instances of the word "cybersecurity" on the website techcrunch.com, you would enter the following query:
site:techcrunch.com cybersecurity
There are many other search operators, each of which can be incredibly useful in different situations. Some of the most important ones to know are:
-inurl: This operator allows you to search for a keyword in the URL of a website. So if you wanted to find all the websites that mention the word "cybersecurity" in their URL, you would enter the following query:
inurl:cybersecurity
-filetype: This operator allows you to search for a specific file type. So if you wanted to find all the PDF files that mention the word "cybersecurity", you would enter the following query:
filetype:pdf cybersecurity
-intitle: This operator allows you to search for a keyword in the title of a website. So if you wanted to find all the websites that mention the word "cybersecurity" in their title, you would enter the following query:
intitle:cybersecurity
If you're interested in learning more about Google Hacking or "Google Dorking", there are a number of options and operators to explore on Exploit DB's Google Hacking Database (https://www.exploit-db.com/google-hacking-database). This would be a great place to start if you want to learn more about these methods of information gathering. Google dorking or Google Hacking can also be useful to hackers in finding vulnerable websites by using Google's advanced search operators. It's worth taking the time to get to know them as a cybersecurity professional.
Use quotation marks
One of Google’s most powerful search features is the ability to use quotation marks to find an exact match for a phrase or set of words.
To find an exact match for a phrase on Google, enclose the phrase or keywords in quotation marks. For example, if you wanted to find information only on the WannaCry ransomware attack, you would search using the query:
“WannaCry ransomware attack”
This would give you results that only include the exact phrase “WannaCry ransomware attack”, rather than results that include WannaCry, ransomware, and attack separately.
If you wanted to find the phrase "Do you feel lucky, punk?", you would search using the query:
“Do you feel lucky, punk?"
This would return results with that exact phrase, rather than results with the words "do", "you", "feel", "lucky", and punk separately.
Without using quotes for a specific phrase or search term, Google will interpret your query as separate keywords, so although you’ll pull up relevant results, you’ll also get a lot of results that are unrelated to what you’re searching for.
This is a particularly useful tip for cybersecurity searches, since there are often many different terms for the same thing (e.g. malware, malicious code, etc.), and quotation marks can help you zero in on the results you’re looking for.
In order to get more relevant results, you need to use quotation marks around your query.
Add a minus sign before a word to exclude it from your results
If you want to exclude a certain word from your search results, you can add a minus (-) sign before the word. For example, if you are searching for articles about cybersecurity, but you want to exclude articles about the Equifax breach, your search query would be:
cybersecurity -Equifax
Another way to use the minus sign is to exclude a specific website from your search results. For example, if you didn't want any results from Wikipedia, you could search for "cybersecurity -site:wikipedia.org". This would give you results about cybersecurity excluding any results from Wikipedia.
Here are three other examples of how you can use this tip to narrow your search results and find the information you're looking for:
- If you're searching for a recipe and you want to exclude ingredients that you're allergic to, you can add a minus sign before the ingredients you want to exclude. For example, "chocolate cake recipe -eggs -flour".
- If you're searching for a new car and you want to exclude certain brands or types of cars, you can add a minus sign before the brand or type. For example, "hybrid cars -toyota -honda".
- Finally, you can use the minus sign to exclude a specific file type from your search results. For example, if you were looking for images of the United States but didn't want any results that were .pdf files, you could search for "United States -filetype:pdf".
Think like a researcher.
When you're trying to find information on the internet, it's important to think like a researcher. This means being able to effectively sift through a lot of information in a short amount of time.
To do this, you need to be able to identify the most relevant and useful information. This can be tricky, but it's important to remember that not all information is created equal.
Be laser focused on exactly what it is you are looking for. In order to be laser focused, you need to have crystal clear understanding and thinking of the context around what you’re trying to find. Accurate thinking is required in order to understand what to “feed” Google to get what you’re looking for.
As a cybersecurity professional, it's important to be able to stay calm under pressure and think clearly in order to find the right solution quickly. This ability to think critically and find the right information quickly is what separates the professionals from the amateurs.
One story that exemplifies this difference is the classic story/parable of the guy who charged $4995 for knowing where to look. In this instance, the guy who knew where to look was able to find the right information quickly and solve the problem, while the others were left scrambling.
You'll never forget this story:
A giant ship engine failed. The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure but how to fix the engine.
Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was young. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom.
Two of the ship's owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away.
The engine was fixed! A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for five thousand dollars.
"What?!" the owners exclaimed. "He hardly did anything!"
So they wrote the old man a note saying, "Please send us an itemized bill."
The man sent a bill that read:
Tapping with a hammer.......$5.00
Knowing where to tap..........$4,995.00
Lesson?
Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort in your life makes all the difference.
This ability to think critically and find the right information quickly is what distinguishes professionals from novices. If you want to be a successful cybersecurity professional, you need to learn how to think like a pro. Be very specific and clear with what you're trying to find, then craft your query using any relevant keywords and search operators.
Use multiple sources.
When you're researching a topic, it's important to use multiple sources to get a well-rounded view of the subject.
For example, if you're researching a new piece of malware, you should read articles from a variety of different sources. This could include security blogs, news websites, and even the malware's own website (if it has one).
Why is my site called Operation Octopus, and why do I have an octopus as my symbol for a hacker? Well, I’ll save that for another post, but one reason is that the octopus has eight arms. Eight arms that are always in different buckets. This symbolizes the importance of having multiple flows, sources, attacks, plans in place, options, etc. Always think in multiples and never rely on just one or two sources or options when you do something. Have backups in place and ready to go. Be prepared. To be a successful hacker, you need to think like an octopus and use multiple sources.
Be creative.
Finally, it's important to be creative when you're Googling for information. This means thinking outside of the box and being willing to try different search queries.
For example, if you're having trouble finding information on a specific topic, you could try using synonyms or related terms. You could also try changing the order of your keywords. Remember:
"Seek and you shall find. Ask and it will be given to you. Knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
But you gotta learn to ask the right questions. If one way doesn't work, be creative and find another way.
Conclusion
Cybersecurity is a field that is constantly changing, and technologies are always evolving. However, one thing that will always be important in this field is the ability to think and find answers on your own. If you don't know how to google things, you will never be able to keep up with the changes or be an effective cybersecurity professional.
Your ability to effectively use Google can make all the difference in your career. Not only will you be able to find answers to tough questions and solve problems on your own, but you'll also be able to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of technology. While you can’t know everything, Google can help you get closer to having all the answers you need. So if you're not already using Google to its full potential, now is the time to start. Your future career depends on it.
