The best site to find password leaks: Google

Title: Search Engine Hacking with Google, Bing & Shodan Author: Enrique Rando

Pages: 272

Price: 20 Euros + Shipping (includes IVA)

Though it's been 2500 years since Sun Tzu wrote "The Art of War", many of his lessons remain relevant. His teaching contains several passages that seem especially suitable for people who work in Information Security:

* "Those who disable foreign armies without combat are the best teachers of the Art of War."

* "Before you fight, first learn the skills of the enemy's workers, and then fight them according to their weaknesses."

* "When you can perceive subtlety, winning is easy."

Without a doubt, this information is key in preparing for attempted security breaches. Without it, determining what to attack and how to do it is impossible. Search engines have become important tools for collecting data and other intelligence. However, despite Google hacking's many years of use, its techniques have perhaps not always been well-treated or publically shared.

Also, sometimes an index.html file is accidentally removed, causing (brain-dead installs) to suddenly reveal the contents of a directory, eg. http://shahinfosoft.com/

This is doubly true with security. There is no cosmetic or usability difference between a secure application and a nightmare that leads to thousands of leaked passwords. So companies that don't already have a good group of developers are screwed when hiring, and companies that don't consider their existing team's decision as the most important factor when hiring are asking for trouble.

Also, it's not a matter of development, but security and system administration. They are often performed not only by different people, but sometimes even by different sub-organizations in different physical locations. It's not a good excuse, but we shouldn't be so quick to judge developers author knowing what exactly happened.