Search Engine Operators for OSINT
Search engine operators are specialized commands or symbols used to refine search queries, making them invaluable for Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) tasks. These operators allow precise filtering, exclusion, or targeting of information, such as specific sites, file types, or proximity-based searches. Below is a detailed guide on operators for Google, Bing, Yandex, DuckDuckGo, and Baidu, tailored for OSINT purposes. Each section includes a table of key operators, their syntax, descriptions, and examples, based on official documentation and reliable sources.
Google Search Operators
Section titled “Google Search Operators”Google’s operators are robust for OSINT, enabling targeted searches across domains, file types, or cached pages. Use Google’s Advanced Search (https://www.google.com/advanced_search) for a GUI or the search bar for direct queries.
| Operator | Syntax | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| AND (implicit) | term1 term2 | Finds pages with both terms (default). | biking Italy |
| OR | term1 OR term2 | Finds pages with either term. | recycle steel OR iron |
| ” " | "exact phrase” | Searches for exact phrase. | ”I have a dream” |
| - | term1 -term2 | Excludes pages with term2. | salsa -dance |
| ~ | ~term | Includes synonyms. | castle ~glossary |
| * | term1 * term2 | Wildcard for word(s) between terms. | ”a * saved is a * earned” |
| define: | define: term | Provides definitions from the web. | define: imbroglio |
| + - * / | number operator number | Performs arithmetic. | 12 + 34 - 56 * 7 / 8 |
| % of | number % of number | Calculates percentages. | 45% of 39 |
| ^ or ** | number^number or number**number | Raises to a power. | 2^5 |
| site: | site:domain | Restricts to a specific site/domain. | halloween site:www.census.gov |
| .. | number1..number2 | Searches numerical range. | dave barry pirate 2002..2006 |
| filetype: or ext: | filetype:type | Limits to file types. | form 1098-t irs filetype:pdf |
| link: | link:URL | Finds pages linking to URL. | link:warriorlibrarian.com |
| cache: | cache:URL | Shows cached page version. | cache:www.irs.gov |
| related: | related:URL | Finds similar pages. | related:www.healthfinder.gov |
| info: or id: | info:URL | Provides page info. | info:www.theonion.com |
| allinanchor: | allinanchor:keywords | All terms in anchor text. | allinanchor:seo tips |
| allintext: | allintext:keywords | All terms in body text. | allintext:seo blog |
| allintitle: | allintitle:keywords | All terms in title. | allintitle:seo blog |
| allinurl: | allinurl:keywords | All terms in URL. | allinurl:seo blog |
| AROUND(n) | term1 AROUND(n) term2 | Terms within n words. | seo AROUND(3) audit |
| book or books | book term | Searches book text. | book ender’s game |
| movie: | movie: title | Finds movie reviews/showtimes. | movie: traffic |
| stocks: | stocks: ticker | Shows stock info. | stocks: goog |
| weather | weather location | Shows weather forecast. | weather seattle wa |
OSINT Use Case: Use site:, filetype:pdf, or link: to uncover documents or connections on specific domains. cache: helps retrieve deleted or altered pages.
Bing Search Operators
Section titled “Bing Search Operators”Bing’s operators are effective for OSINT, especially for SEO diagnostics and link analysis. They focus on site restrictions and file types.
| Operator | Syntax | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| contains: | contains:type | Finds pages linking to file type. | site:yourdomain.com contains:pdf |
| ext: | ext:type | Limits to file extension. | ext:htm |
| feed: | feed:term | Finds RSS/Atom feeds. | feed:seo |
| hasfeed: | hasfeed:term | Finds pages with feeds. | hasfeed:seo |
| info: | info:URL | Shows page info, including related results. | info:competitorsite.com |
| inanchor: | inanchor:keyword | Keyword in anchor text. | inanchor:seo |
| inbody: | inbody:keyword | Keyword in body text. | inbody:seo |
| intitle: | intitle:keyword | Keyword in title. | intitle:seo |
| ip: | ip:address | Sites hosted on an IP. | ip:192.0.2.1 |
| language: | language:code | Limits to language. | language:en |
| location: | location:country | Limits to region. | location:us |
| OR | term1 OR term2 | Either term (capitalized). | john doe (site:linkedin OR site:twitter) |
| prefer: | prefer:keyword | Emphasizes term. | seo prefer:audit |
| site: | site:domain | Restricts to domain. | site:bruceclay.com page experience update |
| url: | url:domain | Checks if domain is indexed. | url:bruceclay.com |
| - | term1 -term2 | Excludes term. | cats -musical |
| ” " | "exact phrase” | Exact match. | ”search engine optimization” |
| () | (group) | Groups terms for complex queries. | (seo OR sem) audit |
| filetype: | filetype:type | Limits to file type. | filetype:pdf seo |
OSINT Use Case: ip: and contains: are powerful for mapping sites hosted on specific servers or finding linked documents.
Yandex Search Operators
Section titled “Yandex Search Operators”Yandex, widely used in Russia, offers precise operators for OSINT, including proximity and exact-form searches, ideal for regional investigations.
| Operator | Syntax | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| + | term1 +term2 | Includes term explicitly. | audit +seo |
| - | term1 -term2 | Excludes term (at query end). | seo -audit |
| ” " | "exact phrase” | Exact phrase match. | ”mobile seo audit” |
| * | term1 * term2 | Wildcard for missing words (with ""). | “the best seo *“ |
| term1 | term2 | ||
| ~~ | term1 ~~term2 | NOT; excludes term entirely. | seo ~~audit |
| ~ | term1 ~term2 | Excludes term from same sentence. | seo ~audit |
| ! | !term | Exact form, no synonyms. | !seos |
| !! | !!term | Dictionary form. | !!seo |
| & | term1 & term2 | Terms in same sentence. | free & seo |
| /+n | term1 /+n term2 | Terms within n words (right). | seo /+2 audit |
| /-n | term1 /-n term2 | Terms within n words (left). | audit /-2 seo |
| /(x y) | term1 /(x y) term2 | Terms within range x (left) to y (right). | seo /(-3 +3) audit |
| () | (group) | Groups complex queries. | seo && (+audit |
| url: | url:address | Exact URL search. | url:seosly.com |
| inurl: | inurl:term | Term in URL. | inurl:seo |
| site: | site:domain | Restricts to site/subdomains. | site:seosly.com |
| domain: | domain:TLD | Restricts to TLD. | seo domain:com |
| host: | host:www.domain.tld | Specific host. | host:www.seosly.com |
| rhost: | rhost:tld.domain.www | Reverse host (with * for subs). | rhost:com.seosly.www |
| title: | title:term | Term in title. | title:seo audit |
| mime: | mime:type | File type limit. | seo mime:pdf |
| lang: | lang:code | Language limit. | seo lang:en |
| date: | date:YYYYMMDD | Date limit (with * for partial). | date:202408* |
OSINT Use Case: rhost:, mime:, and /+n are excellent for mapping subdomains, finding files, or narrowing proximity searches in Russian-language contexts.
DuckDuckGo Search Operators
Section titled “DuckDuckGo Search Operators”DuckDuckGo, privacy-focused, offers simple operators for OSINT, with “bangs” (! ) redirecting queries to other platforms.
| Operator | Syntax | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| term1 term2 | term1 term2 | OR logic by default. | cats dogs |
| ” " | "exact phrase” | Exact phrase. | ”cats and dogs” |
| ~” ” | ~“phrase” | Semantically similar phrases (experimental). | ~“cats and dogs” |
| - | term1 -term2 | Reduces presence of term2. | cats -dogs |
| + | term1 +term2 | Increases presence of term2. | cats +dogs |
| filetype: | term filetype:ext | Limits to file type. | cats filetype:pdf |
| site: | term site:domain | Restricts to domain. | dogs site:example.com |
| -site: | term -site:domain | Excludes domain. | cats -site:example.com |
| intitle: | intitle:term | Term in title. | intitle:dogs |
| inurl: | inurl:term | Term in URL. | inurl:cats |
| \ | \term | Goes to first result. | \futurama |
| !bang | !bang term | Searches on another site. | !a blink182 (Amazon) |
| !safeon/off | term !safeon | Toggles safe search. | cats !safeon |
OSINT Use Case: Use !bang to pivot to platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter, and filetype: to locate public documents.
Baidu Search Operators
Section titled “Baidu Search Operators”Baidu, dominant in China, supports operators optimized for Chinese-language OSINT, with functionality similar to Google.
| Operator | Syntax | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| intitle: | intitle:term | Term in title. | intitle:university |
| site: | site:domain | Restricts to domain. | site:seomandarin.com |
| inurl: | inurl:term | Term in URL. | inurl:wikipedia |
| ” " | "exact phrase” | Exact match. | ”seo service” |
| filetype: | filetype:ext | Limits to file type. | filetype:doc |
| - | term1 -term2 | Excludes term. | seo -fred |
| + | term1 +term2 | Includes term. | 中国刺绣 +历史 |
| AND | term1 AND term2 | Both terms. | 中国 AND 刺绣 |
| OR | term1 OR term2 | Either term. | 中国 OR 刺绣 |
OSINT Use Case: Combine site: and filetype: to find Chinese-language documents or use inurl: for targeted URL searches.