Secret Sauce in Robots.txt — How I Found Hidden Admin Panels and Debug URLs
1 min read
Summary
A security researcher has explained how they used passive recon to uncover vulnerabilities in a target organisation.
The researcher was scanning for basic files used in security testing, such as sitemap.xml, robots.txt, and .git/.
The target’s robots.txt file – which specifies what should be crawled or not crawled by web robots – inadvertently revealed sensitive information about other URLs on the company’s servers.
The security researcher used this information to find an exposed admin panel, debug URLs, and potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited.
The researcher stresses the importance of organisations regularly checking for errant URLs or passive data that could expose critical information.
Robots.txt files are important for blocking malicious web bots, but can be used against companies if not properly managed.