Even if the exact file is rare, the technique is alive. Attackers don't just type this into Google. They use automated bots to scan the entire IPv4 address space for open directory listings. Here’s the typical workflow:
In your server block, set:
autoindex off;
Using tools like gobuster, dirb, or custom Python scripts, attackers scan thousands of IP addresses for common directories: /backup/, /temp/, /admin/, /logs/, /old/. Index Of Password.txt Facebook
Once an open directory is found, the bot downloads the entire file listing, looking for keywords like password, credential, facebook, email, paypal, bank.
Now, let's break down the search query:
When someone types this exact phrase into a search engine (especially older ones or specialized IoT search engines like Shodan or Censys), they are hoping to find a publicly accessible directory listing that contains a file named password.txt which, when opened, reveals Facebook login credentials.
In 2018, a security researcher discovered an open directory belonging to a major marketing firm. Inside was a file named fb_pass.txt containing over 50,000 plaintext Facebook usernames and passwords. The company had been using an internal tool to scrape public data and accidentally stored logs in a web-accessible folder. The breach wasn't a result of Facebook’s security—it was entirely the third-party vendor’s misconfiguration. Even if the exact file is rare, the technique is alive
More recently, in 2023, multiple educational institutions (.edu domains) were found with open /student_backup/ directories containing .txt files with social media credentials. Students had stored their passwords in unencrypted text files on school web servers, not realizing the world could read them.
Fortunately, there are more secure ways to manage your passwords: Using tools like gobuster , dirb , or
