Live data from Hacker News

Remove any Site From Google (even if you don't control it)

jamesbreckenridge.co.uk

81–90 of 102 posts

Re: Remove any Site From Google (even if you don't control it)

#81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sending an email to security@google.com will result in a quick response. As part of their bug bounty program Google would have paid $1,000 for this bug if not more.

Hmm, which is more valuable, $1000 or #1 on HN?

Sometimes (not necessarily in this case) #1 on HN. Being noticed in the right place at a right time may proove to be much better for one's life than a quick money boost.

Re: Remove any Site From Google (even if you don't control it)

#82
post #51
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because now you know the email is spelled "security@google.com", it would be easy to come up with search query that returns that email address after the fact. If you going by the instinct, search for "google bug report", ...I'm on page 20 and still couldn't find that email. (Personalize search turned off.)

Because the security email address is not a place for bug reports: it shouldn't be ranking for that query. If it did, the team would just be swamped with "bug reports" ;) Try searching for "google report security" or "security vulnerability google" and you'll find the right information.

Which is sad, because in this case we have a security vulnerability and a bug at the same time, so how one expresses that in a web search depends only on one's current mindframe and set of associations. Eg. when I hear "Google security" I imagine guys with guns, not a place for bug reports.

Re: Remove any Site From Google (even if you don't control it)

#85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sending an email to security@google.com will result in a quick response. As part of their bug bounty program Google would have paid $1,000 for this bug if not more.

Hmm, which is more valuable, $1000 or #1 on HN?

You can get both.

Re: Remove any Site From Google (even if you don't control it)

#86
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sending an email to security@google.com will result in a quick response. As part of their bug bounty program Google would have paid $1,000 for this bug if not more.

The biggest problem when the 911 (and equivalent emergency services) was getting the word out there that it existed. It required a huge, years-long marketing campaign. Perhaps they should have inhouse ads targeted at keywords like "report vulnerability".

I wonder if large companies are willing to advertise to the general public the possibility that they could have vulnerabilities.

Re: Remove any Site From Google (even if you don't control it)

#87
post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My favorite has always been the google apps problems that tell you to contact support to get a resolution but you can only contact support if you are a paying customer. support is not google's strong suit.

I am a google apps paying customer and it took them 4 weeks to get my domain issue corrected ! In that time i wasnt able to get mail so i had to change my mail to use godaddy until they got back to me. When they finally did they said it was because my dns records were pointing to godaddy ! After 1 week of not getting mails i would say an alternative is required. I actually had a feeling that this would happen :) I re…

Setting up your DNS is not really something Google should do for you. You should have had an IT pro who's done this sort of transition before, manage the move. You could have had this resolved in hours not weeks. I agree though Google support sucks, the key is to not depend on it.

Re: Remove any Site From Google (even if you don't control it)

#88
post #52
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This bug could have been exploited for millions of dollars. Quite possibly exploited for non-savvy website owners. Savvy owners would be checking their ranking regularly and noticing it disappear one day. Anyone who ranks highly for lucrative keywords and does not check their ranking is asking to lose it, whether ethically or otherwise. So I don't think it would have been exploited for the millions you think, but p…

Then just run your attack on the day of a big algorithm or index update when it will be drowned by the usual "google made my children starve" noise.

Brillant!

Re: Remove any Site From Google (even if you don't control it)

#89
post #43
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This bug could have been exploited for millions of dollars. Quite possibly exploited for non-savvy website owners. Savvy owners would be checking their ranking regularly and noticing it disappear one day. Anyone who ranks highly for lucrative keywords and does not check their ranking is asking to lose it, whether ethically or otherwise. So I don't think it would have been exploited for the millions you think, but p…

> Anyone who ranks highly for lucrative keywords and does not check their ranking is asking to lose it, whether ethically or otherwise. Your ranking is not your responsibility as a webmaster. It's Google's responsibility to its users to rank good answers highly.

It is your responsibility as someone doing business to check up on it, and proactively take action if/when rankings go down. To not do so makes no business sense. Of course, if you're just a casual blogger who doesn't care about SEO, it doesn't matter. But if you do care, not checking is foolish
Post reply on HN