How HIPAA.app Works
HIPAA.app uses specialized search techniques known as "Google dorking" to identify potentially exposed Protected Health Information (PHI) across the public internet. Our application leverages these techniques in a secure, privacy-focused way to help healthcare organizations protect patient data.
The Process
Input specific information you want to check for exposure, such as a patient name, medical record number, or healthcare facility identifier. Our system is designed to work with minimal information while still producing relevant results.
HIPAA.app transforms your query into a series of specialized search parameters (Google dorks) designed specifically to identify common PHI exposure patterns. These searches look for things like:
- Unprotected medical databases
- Patient records in publicly accessible directories
- Healthcare data in exposed document repositories
- PHI in cached or archived web pages
- Patient information in public forums or message boards
Our system analyzes the search results, filtering out false positives and categorizing potential exposures based on their severity and the type of information exposed. Each result is assigned a risk level (High, Medium, or Low) to help you prioritize remediation efforts.
Results are presented in a clear, actionable format that shows where PHI might be exposed, what kind of information is at risk, and the severity of the exposure. All of this processing happens in real-time, with no storage of your queries or the results.
Understanding Google Dorks
Google dorks are specialized search queries that use advanced operators to find specific types of information. HIPAA.app employs a proprietary set of healthcare-specific dork patterns developed by our security experts to identify PHI exposure.
Example (simplified) dork patterns used by our system:
site:healthcare-domain.com filetype:pdf "patient name" "DOB"
inurl:patient OR inurl:medical "medical record number" filetype:xls OR filetype:xlsx
intitle:"index of" "patients" "2023" -inurl:blocked
intext:"medical history" intext:"confidential" ext:doc OR ext:docx
Security Note
HIPAA.app never stores your search queries or results. All processing happens in real-time through a secure connection, and no PHI is retained on our servers. We've designed the application with privacy as a fundamental principle, ensuring that your security checks don't create additional exposure risks.
I'm Feeling Secure Button
Our "I'm Feeling Secure" button provides a quick way to receive a random but relevant HIPAA security tip from our extensive database of best practices. It's a simple way to learn something new about PHI protection every time you use HIPAA.app.
Recommended Actions
When HIPAA.app identifies potential PHI exposure, we recommend taking these steps:
- Verify the exposure by checking the identified URL
- Document the finding for your compliance records
- Contact the website owner to request removal of the PHI
- Submit removal requests to search engines for cached content
- Review your organization's policies to prevent similar exposures
- Conduct regular checks to ensure the information has been removed
For high-risk exposures, we recommend consulting with a HIPAA compliance officer or healthcare privacy attorney to determine if there are reporting obligations under the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule.