OSINT Top Ten: Number 8 - Archived Web Pages

Number eight in our OSINT Top Ten is Archived Web Pages!

These are cached records of your web pages available online over the lifespan of your domain. Mismanagement or turning a blind eye to this vital part of an organization's digital presence can lead to brand damage, data leaks, or even possible persistent/ongoing attacks against existing live assets. 

Since the Internet does not easily forget, it is essential to know if the archived web pages are compliant with your branding policies and do not impact it negatively.

Archived Web Pages is a reality that needs to be managed by an organization actively. To regulate an organization's "exposure," it is recommended to monitor these web archives for the appearance of

• sensitive information,

• Javascript endpoints,

• potential redirects,

• and subdomains.

Also, these web archives provide a glimpse into the attack surface without generating noise. Improper Robots.txt can lead to the crawling of sites with misconfigurations.  Older web pages, which may have sensitive information or misconfigurations, that organizations do not remove can be discovered and rediscovered by bad actors.  

It is crucial to ensure that organizations know this critical aspect of digital presence through proper training and implement controls to monitor and manage exposure on this front.

Next, we'll be talking about Company Sentiment / Financials. Stay tuned.