If you use .shtml files:
This is the most critical part. .shtml stands for Server Side Includes (SSI) HTML. Unlike a standard .html file (which is static), an .shtml file is dynamic. When a web server delivers an .shtml page, it scans the file for special SSI directives (e.g., <!--#include virtual="header.html" -->) before sending it to the browser. inurl+view+index+shtml
Why does this matter? Historically, index.shtml was the default landing page for directories that used SSI. If you visited https://example.com/reports/, the server would look for index.shtml (similar to how others look for index.html or index.php). If you use
This is the most critical component. .shtml stands for Server-Side Includes HTML. Unlike a standard .html file (which is static) or a .php/.asp file (which is fully dynamic), an .shtml file is a hybrid. It allows developers to inject dynamic content (like date stamps, counters, or includes) into a static HTML page using SSI directives. Older versions of AWStats (pre-2015) had a critical
Why does this matter? Because .shtml files are often used for navigation menus, headers, footers, and directory listings. When you see view index.shtml, you are often looking at the "view" script that displays the "index" (directory contents).
Older versions of AWStats (pre-2015) had a critical vulnerability: CVE-2014-10025 (Remote File Inclusion). If an attacker finds an AWStats page via inurl:view+index.shtml and the version is 6.x or 7.x (early), they can often execute arbitrary system commands on the web server.