Hidden in Plain Site: Leverage Commented Code and Web Metadata for Website Research

This presentation explores how commented code and various forms of metadata, such as image names, <meta> tags, and robots.txt files, embedded within a webpage’s source code, can serve as valuable resources for digital investigators. I will introduce a free browser add-on that automatically collects this hidden information, streamlining the investigative process. While this technique is essential for any web investigation, it is particularly effective when analyzing corporate websites in China and archived versions on the Wayback Machine. This is due to the use of older web technologies, less rigorous development practices, and inconsistencies generated by bilingual website management, making these sites potentially rich in overlooked data. View upcoming Summits: http://www.sans.org/u/DuS SANS Open-Source Intelligence Summit 2025 Hidden in Plain Site: Leverage Commented Code and Web Metadata for Website Research Cristopher Uglea, Founder, No Nonsense Intelligene