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Hackers look at old URLs because they can reveal forgotten...
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How Hackers Use WaybackURLs to Find Hidden Website Vulnerabilities
Introduction
Have you ever thought about what a website looked like five years ago?
Websites often change. Pages are removed. Routes are forgotten. But that doesn’t mean they’re gone forever.
The internet has a memory. And hackers use it to find hidden and outdated information.
One powerful tool they use is WaybackURLs. It helps them find old URLs from a website using the Wayback Machine.
Why? Because old URLs can lead to old code. And old code can mean security flaws.
In this blog, you’ll learn how hackers use WaybackURLs and how you can use it ethically to test your own sites. And if you want to learn Ethical Hacking from beginning, then you can read it in this series.
What is WaybackURLs?
WaybackURLs is a simple command-line tool used by security researchers and ethical hackers.
It helps you find old URLs from a website.
The tool collects URLs that were saved by the Wayback Machine, which is a web archive.
Even if a page is deleted now, WaybackURLs might still find its link.
These links can show pages like /admin, /test, or /backup.
Sometimes, developers forget to fully remove old pages from their servers. That’s where WaybackURLs becomes useful.
It shows what was once public and might still be hidden on the site. WaybackURLs is made in Go and is easy to use for scanning websites during testing.
Every security layer has a purpose, and understanding why they’re there will shape you into a more insightful hacker.
Why Hackers Use Historical URLs
Hackers look at old URLs because they can reveal forgotten parts of a website. Sometimes, websites remove pages but leave the code on the server. These pages are not visible, but they still exist.
Hackers use tools like WaybackURLs to find these hidden or deleted links.
Why? Because old pages may have weak security or bugs. For example, pages like /admin, /debug, or /test-login can expose sensitive data or allow access without proper checks. Old code is risky. It may not follow current security rules.
In 2018, hackers targeted a company by using old URLs found in the Wayback Machine.
They discovered a deleted admin panel that still worked.
Using that, they accessed the backend and stole data.
Source
This shows how dangerous forgotten pages can be.
That’s why hackers, and also ethical hackers, scan historical URLs during testing — to find what others missed.
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Step 1: Install Go (if not already installed)
WaybackURLs is made using Go. You need Go installed on your system first. You can install it from golang.org.
After installing, check it with:
Step 2: Install WaybackURLs
Now install WaybackURLs using this command:
go install github.com/tomnomnom/waybackurls@latest
It will download and set up the tool.
Make sure your $GOPATH/bin is in your system’s path so you can run the tool from anywhere.
Step 3: Use WaybackURLs
To find all historical URLs of a website, use:
echo “example.com” | waybackurls
It will show a list of old URLs collected from the Wayback Machine.
You can save them using:
echo “example.com” | waybackurls > urls.txt
If you face any trouble in installing and using this tool, you can read this section for troubleshooting.
Advanced Use: Chaining with Other Tools
WaybackURLs is powerful alone. But it becomes stronger when used with other tools.
Chain with httpx
httpx checks which URLs are alive. You can pipe WaybackURLs output to httpx like this:
echo “example.com” | waybackurls | httpx
This shows only working URLs. It saves time by skipping dead links.
Chain with gf
gf helps find specific types of URLs.
For example, you want to find URLs with login pages. Use:
echo “example.com” | waybackurls | gf login
You get only URLs related to login pages.
Combine All Tools
You can also chain all together:
echo “example.com” | waybackurls | httpx | gf admin
This lists live admin panel URLs from old site snapshots.
Chaining tools makes your scan focused and faster.
It helps find real weak spots quickly.
Troubleshooting: Fix waybackurls Command Not Found on Kali Linux
If after installing waybackurls you get:
waybackurls: command not found
follow these quick steps to fix it.
1. Verify installation
Check if the binary exists:
ls -l ~/go/bin/waybackurls
If not found, install it with:
go install github.com/tomnomnom/waybackurls@latest
2. Check your PATH
Run:echo $PATHIf ~/go/bin is missing, the system can’t find waybackurls.
3. Temporarily add Go bin to PATH
Test:which waybackurlsIf it works, proceed to permanent fix.
4. Permanently add Go bin to PATH
For bash:echo 'export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/go/bin' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
For zsh:echo 'export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/go/bin' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc
5. Verify again
Close and reopen terminal, then run:which waybackurlsIt should show ~/go/bin/waybackurls.
Bonus: Create a global symlink
This makes waybackurls available system-wide without changing PATH.
Done! Now you can run waybackurls from anywhere.
Conclusion
WaybackURLs is a simple but powerful tool. It helps you find old and hidden URLs of any website.
Hackers use these old links to look for weak spots. Sometimes, old pages have bugs that were never fixed.
You can also use WaybackURLs with tools like httpx and gf. This makes your scans faster and more useful.
If you’re learning ethical hacking, this tool is a must-try. Always use it with the right intent — to learn and protect.
Stay curious. Stay ethical.
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