GPEN practice question 8 of 35

You want to search the Apache Web server having version 2.0 using google hacking. Which of the following search queries will you use?

Full set: 385 questions
Answer options
A: intitle:"Test Page for Apache Installation" "You are free"
B: intitle:"Test Page for Apache Installation" "It worked!" Correct answer
C: intitle:test.page "Hey, it worked !" "SSl/TLS aware"
D: intitle:Sample.page.for.Apache Apache.Hook.Function
Correct Answer:
B. intitle:"Test Page for Apache Installation" "It worked!"
Explanation

The default installation or test page for the Apache HTTP Server version 2.x series characteristically contains the exact phrase "It worked!". Combining this string with a common page title, such as intitle:"Test Page for Apache Installation", creates a highly specific and effective Google Hacking query. This "dork" precisely targets the unique content of the default welcome page generated by many common distributions of Apache 2.0, allowing an attacker to easily enumerate potentially unconfigured or forgotten servers.

Why Incorrect

A: The phrase "You are free" is more commonly associated with the default pages of older Apache 1.x versions, making it an inaccurate query for version 2.0. C: This query uses a non-standard title and a variation of the success message ("Hey, it worked !"), which are not typical for a default Apache installation. D: The text strings "Sample.page.for.Apache" and "Apache.Hook.Function" are not found on a standard Apache test page; the latter refers to an internal API function.

References

1. Offensive Security. (n.d.). Google Hacking Database (GHDB) ID: 13. Exploit Database. Retrieved from https://www.exploit-db.com/ghdb/13.

This entry in the GHDB

a repository of Google Hacking queries widely referenced in security education and research

explicitly lists intitle:"Test Page for Apache" "It worked!" for finding default Apache web server installations

which are predominantly version 2.x.

2. Apache Software Foundation. (2010). Compiling and Installing Apache HTTP Server Version 2.0. Apache HTTP Server Version 2.0 Documentation.

In Section "Test"

the documentation instructs the user to start the server and request a document. It states

"If nothing has been changed

this will be a test page." While the documentation does not specify the exact text

the standard test page provided by most OS distributions for Apache 2.0 contains the "It worked!" message.

3. Kar

J. (2012). Lecture 15: Hacking Web Servers. Courseware

CS6008: Computer and Network Security

Department of Computer Science and Engineering

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati.

Page 11 of the lecture slides lists Google search strings for hacking

including intitle:"Test Page for Apache" "It worked!" as a method to find default Apache installations.

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