This CEH practice question tests your understanding of footprinting, reconnaissance and scanning. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
While performing reconnaissance, a tester uses a Google dork to find login pages exposed on the internet. Which of the following is an example of a Google dork that could be used for this purpose?
inurl:login.php
This dork finds URLs containing 'login.php'.
site:example.com -www
Why wrong: This excludes subdomains containing 'www', not a dork for login pages.
filetype:pdf
Why wrong: This finds PDF files, not specifically login pages.
link:example.com
Why wrong: This finds pages linking to example.com, not login pages.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
inurl:login.php
Option A is correct because the Google dork 'inurl:login.php' instructs Google to return only URLs that contain the string 'login.php' in the URL path. This is a classic reconnaissance technique to discover exposed login pages, as many web applications use 'login.php' as the default authentication endpoint. The 'inurl:' operator filters search results based on the literal text in the URL, making it ideal for footprinting specific web resources.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
inurl:login.php
Why this is correct
This dork finds URLs containing 'login.php'.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
site:example.com -www
Why it's wrong here
This excludes subdomains containing 'www', not a dork for login pages.
filetype:pdf
Why it's wrong here
This finds PDF files, not specifically login pages.
link:example.com
Why it's wrong here
This finds pages linking to example.com, not login pages.
Common exam traps
EC-Council often tests the distinction between operators that search URL content ('inurl:') versus page content ('intitle:') or file types ('filetype:'), leading candidates to confuse 'filetype:pdf' as a valid dork for finding login pages when it actually targets document files.
Detailed technical explanation
Google dorks leverage advanced search operators that interact with Google's index via HTTP GET parameters (e.g., 'q=inurl:login.php'). The 'inurl:' operator performs a substring match against the indexed URL, not the page content, so it can find pages even if the login form is dynamically loaded. In real-world reconnaissance, combining 'inurl:login.php' with 'site:target.com' refines the search to a specific domain, reducing noise and revealing exposed admin panels that may lack proper access controls.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
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FAQ
Footprinting, Reconnaissance and Scanning — This question tests Footprinting, Reconnaissance and Scanning — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: inurl:login.php — Option A is correct because the Google dork 'inurl:login.php' instructs Google to return only URLs that contain the string 'login.php' in the URL path. This is a classic reconnaissance technique to discover exposed login pages, as many web applications use 'login.php' as the default authentication endpoint. The 'inurl:' operator filters search results based on the literal text in the URL, making it ideal for footprinting specific web resources.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This CEH practice question is part of Courseiva's free EC-Council certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CEH exam.
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