The Day I Started Hunting for Secrets

The most critical secrets are often exposed not by a complex exploit, but by a simple human error.

GitHub is a critical source of leaked credentials and sensitive data. GitHub is where developers - push code, share code, test code, store configs(Developers use it to store, share, and collaborate on code) but accidental uploads are rampant, creating a goldmine for security researchers.

Through smart searching or GitHub Dorking—we can discover:

  • ​API keys and OAuth tokens.
  • ​Passwords and Database credentials.
  • ​Cloud secrets (AWS, GCP, Azure).
  • ​Admin panel URLs and Internal documentation.

It's not always negligence. Sometimes it's - a rushed commit, a forgotten .env file, testing on a personal repo, a junior developer unaware of security policies and that's where ethical researchers step in — fully within scope — to identify these leaks responsibly.

​Understanding the Target's Structure before Dorking

To dork effectively, you need to understand the three primary searchable components on GitHub.

Organization Repos (org:target)

These pages may contain internal tools or corporate configurations. Where companies publish code. This is the highest-value area.

User Repos (user:username)

Individual developer profiles often expose corporate secrets accidentally through personal projects. Sometimes with corporate data mixed in.

GitHub Pages

Static sites hosted via GitHub, that unintentionally expose unprotected test dashboards, staging configs, forgotten subdomains or test environment.

Once you understand the surface area, your searches become 10× more meaningful.

The Secret Weapon: High-Value Keywords (The Real Treasure Map)

The core of dorking is knowing which keywords point directly to sensitive data. We memorized these high-value indicators:

Credentials:

password, secret_key, token, apikey, db_password, private_key, .env

Service Access

ftp, ssh, connectionstring, authorization, oauth, JDBC, postgres, mysql

DevOps

jenkins, grafana, jenkins.config.xml, grafana.ini

One good dork can reveal an entire chain of vulnerabilities.

Mastering the Art of Search Refinement

A raw search returns too much noise. The real trick is using filters:

The Language Filter

We use language filters to improve accuracy and eliminate junk. For instance, adding language:python to a search helps eliminate noise and focus on real implementation files where secrets are most likely to appear. The most valuable languages to filter by are bash, python, java, ruby, go, and php

The Power of the NOT Operator

When a search returns too many false positives (like test environments), the NOT operator is essential.

For example, searching for: "target" language:python

You'll get- sandbox results, fake credentials, spam, useless forks

But watch what happens when you refine it:

"target" password language:python NOT sandbox NOT test NOT gmail.com

Suddenly: signal increases, noise decreases, real findings rise to the top

Methodology & Advanced Hunting

Define Scope Broadly:

Even if the program lists only target.com, we were advised to include sub-scopes like *.target.*, cdn.target.com, and test.target.io in our recon

Sort by most recent:

Fresh commits → fresh mistakes Old commits → deprecated, patched, useless

Investigate the leaker:

If a user leaks something interesting-check their org, check their repos, see their activity, identify if they still work at the company.

Sometimes one person becomes your entire recon line.

Explore internal URLs like a detective:

Use dorks like org:target https:// or filename:hosts to find hidden development environments, private documentation, or admin dashboards.

International Recon (Translate Trick):

To find leaks missed by global researchers, we learned to search using keywords in the target company's local language (e.g., Russian: пароль, German: passwort).

Real-World Recon Wins You Can Replicate

These dorks have led to- "target.service-now.com" password "jira.target.com" config "corp.target" secret

And discoveries include- admin logins, AWS root keys, complete database strings, API gateway tokens, internal panel credentials.

This is the kind of stuff companies pay real bounties for - ethically discovered, responsibly disclosed.

In summary, It's not just how to "search GitHub" but how to think like a hunter who: understands developer behaviour, reads between the lines, identifies patterns, uses language and filters smartly, digs where others skim

GitHub dorking isn't random luck. It's a structured, intelligent recon process- and it's officially part of my workflow now.