Become a Google Bot!

[Chris Blood]

This is for educational purposes only!!!!

Ever wondered why a Google search returned search results that lead to sites that require a registration? How the hell did Googlebot index the site without a registration? Many sites want their site indexed in Google to recieve more hits and thus, make more money with advertisment on their site. Even more interesting is the following question: How do we use this to our advantage?

Its fairly easy, we have to disguise ourselves as the Google bot and voilla, many sites let us in without registration. The parameter we have to change is called the User Agent. The user agent defines the browser and version that you use. For example it would show Internet Explorer as your browser if you are using this one.

You need to alter your settings to the following....

User Agent: Googlebot/2.1
Compatible: http://www.googlebot.com/bot.html

------------------------------------------------------------------------

For Internet Explorer you need to change registry entries.....

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionInternet Settings5.0User Agent] @="Googlebot/2.1" "Compatible"="+http://www.googlebot.com/bot.html"

Save this as ua.reg and execute.


To revert the changes back, you need the following.....

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionInternet Settings5.0User Agent] @="Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1)"

Save as oua.reg and execute.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

For Firefox you will need the plug-in: Agent Switcher

To set up the plug-in, click on add, then name your "agent" something like...

Google

In the description text box. For the "User Agent" field, put this...

Googlebot/2.1 (http://www.googlebot.com/bot.html)

Save it, then to access the plug-in, go to Tools (next to help on the menu bar in Firefox) mouse over Agent Switcher, and select Google, surf away. A word of warning, some sites will ban you if they do an IP range check, or a reverse DNS check and your IP doesn't match that of their stored Googlebot IP addy or DNS.

[allout]

Wow not sure if that would work but I can imagine you could get into some serious trouble if you are caught.

[Chris Blood]

It works if you do it correctly. And also you can use the firefox plug-in Agent Switcher to make your browser display whatever name and info you want.

[ajsa52]

If you don't want to be fooled by that trick, you can check the IP to verify GoogleBot Identity using this regular expression:
/^66\.249\.(6[4-9]|[7-8][0-9]|9[0-5])\./

Not all GoogleBot access are from there, but those access from that IP range (66.249.64.0 - 66.249.95.255) are from Google for sure.

[lijgeo]

WOW cool trick.. will try it . but whats the prob if i get caught?

[allout]

but whats the prob if i get caught?

Hmm let's see; hacking is illegal so you could get kicked off your ISP, fined, or even end up with more severe legal trouble. This trick has no way of hiding your IP number so you could end up caught very easy.

[Chris Blood]

This isn't really hacking.

(And getting kicked off your ISP is most unlikely as big ISP like Comcast, and verizon won't do anything but im not saying its impossible.)

[amitpatel_3001]

I thought this was something related to Be The Bot

[seo ranter]

Originally Posted by allout

Hmm let's see; hacking is illegal so you could get kicked off your ISP, fined, or even end up with more severe legal trouble. This trick has no way of hiding your IP number so you could end up caught very easy.

That might be a little extreme........you are not accessing anything that is not publicly available....its available to the googlebot . Plus you are not "hacking" anyone's machine, you are modifying yours.

[syedwasi87]

hmm this sounds interesting from a general view...ofcourse since this is also accessible by googlebot..it is no way hacking of any sort.

i guess but we wont be able to post tho lol

[Chris Blood]

Like i said its not really hacking. Its "hacking" as in modifying.

[Imran]

Cool trick, though it has its negative part.
nice find deserves a +rep

[ajsa52]

Originally Posted by seo ranter

That might be a little extreme........you are not accessing anything that is not publicly available....its available to the googlebot . Plus you are not "hacking" anyone's machine, you are modifying yours.

You're supplanting the identity of Google, to obtain data restricted to GoogleBot, so strictly talking I'm pretty sure that is no legal procedure.

[lijgeo]

cool tool go to


http://students.csci.unt.edu/~ssn001...nes-For-Mobile

students.csci.unt.edu/~ssn0016/gen/paper.PHP?Ringtones-For-Mobile

through browser and as a google bot !

see the difference.. i think we should report ! is this called cloacking?

Originally Posted by amitpatel_3001

I thought this was something related to Be The Bot

[allout]

That might be a little extreme........you are not accessing anything that is not publicly available....its available to the googlebot . Plus you are not "hacking" anyone's machine, you are modifying yours.

You are getting into site information that is available only to members. It is no different than hacking passwords. If it is a paid site, you are stealing information that should be paid for. Not to mention you are committing identity theft from portraying yourself as Google. You are hacking into a website that you should not be into. This is hacking!

[bochgoch]

Hey ... I already am a Google bot -- they created me with a low level AI to come to forums like this and hunt link sellers ....


destroy .... destroy ....

[Chris Blood]

Originally Posted by bochgoch

Hey ... I already am a Google bot -- they created me with a low level AI to come to forums like this and hunt link sellers ....


destroy .... destroy ....

yahoo bots are so much cooler

[shadoze]

You're supplanting the identity of Google, to obtain data restricted to GoogleBot, so strictly talking I'm pretty sure that is no legal procedure.

Data restricted to googlebot? what data? Illegal? says who? Google? First of all this technique really isn't going to reveal all that much as anyone who is cloaking pages is not likely using user agent cloaking..

Now if you could spoof Googlebot's IP's, then you have something, otherwise this is pretty lame as far as allowing you to see things others don't want you to see.

[bochgoch]

Originally Posted by Chris Blood

yahoo bots are so much cooler

As cool as someone called blood? ( Are you a pirate? )

[mvandemar]

Originally Posted by ajsa52

You're supplanting the identity of Google, to obtain data restricted to GoogleBot, so strictly talking I'm pretty sure that is no legal procedure.

It is legal, that's nonsense.

Originally Posted by allout

Hmm let's see; hacking is illegal so you could get kicked off your ISP, fined, or even end up with more severe legal trouble.

No, you can't, you obviously have no clue whatsoever what you are talking about.

Originally Posted by allout

You are getting into site information that is available only to members. It is no different than hacking passwords. If it is a paid site, you are stealing information that should be paid for. Not to mention you are committing identity theft from portraying yourself as Google. You are hacking into a website that you should not be into. This is hacking!

Ok, you have just beat out Forrest for "one of the dumbest things I have ever heard" posts... and that's saying a ton.

Why don't you, instead of just spouting off this nonsense in a Google forum, actually use Google and try to find even the tiniest bit of info to back up what you are saying. I mean, this suggestion is to help you, you have no idea how clueless you sound right now.

-Michael