The concept of "Google hacking" dates back to August 2002, when Chris Sullo included the "nikto_google.plugin" in the 1.20 release of the Nikto vulnerability scanner.
[4] In December 2002 Johnny Long began to collect Google search queries that uncovered vulnerable systems and/or sensitive information disclosures – labeling them googleDorks.
[11] Google Dorking has been involved in some notorious cybercrime cases, such as the Bowman Avenue Dam hack[12] and the CIA breach where around 70% of its worldwide networks were compromised.
[14] Kashman argues that while Google Dorking is technically legal, it has often been used to carry out cybercrime and frequently leads to violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
[15] Her research has highlighted the legal and ethical implications of this technique, emphasizing the need for greater attention and regulation to be applied to its use.