Security Hole Found In Google Desktop Search

[Mia]

Security Hole Found In Google Desktop Search

Google is rolling out an update for its desktop search application to
plug a security hole that could allow attackers to read snippets of
files embedded in Google's normal Web searches by the local search
engine.

http://www.computerworld.com/newsletter/0,4902,98417,00.html?nlid=AM_A

[T0PS3O]

Similarly, you can read cache's of networked printers/photo copyers via Google apparently.

[Mia]

Just the idea/concept behind this form of search should have been a red flag to all. Why allow a someone free reign to search/catagog/index your HD and then make it searcable? Is that not what the Finder is for?

Maybe it's just me.. Maybe I'm paranoid. I'm quite happy with the search functionality of the MacOS as it stands currently. No need to use a 3rd party desktop search. This is just inviting a world of problems.

What's next? Google Desktop Search subpoenaed to get contents of "john doe's" puter. Lovely little spy tool.

Anyway, things like this remind me of Jeff Goldblum in "Jurassic Park" where he discusses how busy they were trying to figure out if they could, that no one bothered to ask if they should.

Sometimes technology goes to far IMHO.

[2003m2003]

It always better to wait for months or more before touching this type of tool, don't forget it is still beta and Google beta is for years...

[T0PS3O]

Very good point indeed. Add SP2 for Windows to that; always best to wait for ages before jumping on a dodgy bandwagon.

[SEbasic]

I actually made a post on my blog about this ages ago...
http://www.seo-dev.co.uk/2004/12/google-desktop-hacked.html
And at SEW...

The site I link to in my post, has taken advantage of this flaw, and basically used it to produce a search that can be run from any server/site you can think of...

Very cool stuff.

I was amazed when hardly anyone looked at my posts about this, because to me, it seemed like pretty big news... :rolleyes:

[Mia]

Maybe its just the Tuesday Net, but that link goes no where for me. Times out. Pingable, (high ping times) but never gets anywhere.

[Dominic]

Well, there is nothing exciting to anyone else on my puter. I put it in as a novelty... played around with it and haven't used it since. We have been doing a clean out of our puters lately as we swap hardware around and after we have cleaned it up for a fresh start I can't see myself re-installing it.