Reconnaissance for Ethical Hackers: Focus on the starting point of data breaches and explore essential steps for successful pentesting

Glen D. Singh

Aug 2023 · Packt Publishing Ltd

About this ebook

Use real-world reconnaissance techniques to efficiently gather sensitive information on systems and networks Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBookKey Features

• Learn how adversaries use reconnaissance techniques to discover security vulnerabilities on systems
• Develop advanced open source intelligence capabilities to find sensitive information
• Explore automated reconnaissance and vulnerability assessment tools to profile systems and networks

Book DescriptionThis book explores reconnaissance techniques – the first step in discovering security vulnerabilities and exposed network infrastructure. It aids ethical hackers in understanding adversaries’ methods of identifying and mapping attack surfaces, such as network entry points, which enables them to exploit the target and steal confidential information. Reconnaissance for Ethical Hackers helps you get a comprehensive understanding of how threat actors are able to successfully leverage the information collected during the reconnaissance phase to scan and enumerate the network, collect information, and pose various security threats. This book helps you stay one step ahead in knowing how adversaries use tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to successfully gain information about their targets, while you develop a solid foundation on information gathering strategies as a cybersecurity professional. The concluding chapters will assist you in developing the skills and techniques used by real adversaries to identify vulnerable points of entry into an organization and mitigate reconnaissance-based attacks. By the end of this book, you’ll have gained a solid understanding of reconnaissance, as well as learned how to secure yourself and your organization without causing significant disruption.What you will learn

• Understand the tactics, techniques, and procedures of reconnaissance
• Grasp the importance of attack surface management for organizations
• Find out how to conceal your identity online as an ethical hacker
• Explore advanced open source intelligence (OSINT) techniques
• Perform active reconnaissance to discover live hosts and exposed ports
• Use automated tools to perform vulnerability assessments on systems
• Discover how to efficiently perform reconnaissance on web applications
• Implement open source threat detection and monitoring tools

Who this book is forIf you are an ethical hacker, a penetration tester, red teamer, or any cybersecurity professional looking to understand the impact of reconnaissance-based attacks, how they take place, and what organizations can do to protect against them, then this book is for you. Cybersecurity professionals will find this book useful in determining the attack surface of their organizations and assets on their network, while understanding the behavior of adversaries.

About the author

Glen D. Singh is an information security author and cybersecurity lecturer. His areas of expertise are cybersecurity operations, offensive security tactics and techniques, and enterprise networking. He holds a Master of Science (MSc) in cybersecurity and many industry certifications from top awarding bodies such as EC-Council, Cisco, and Check Point. Glen loves teaching and mentoring others while sharing his wealth of knowledge and experience as an author. He has written many books, which focus on vulnerability discovery and exploitation, threat detection, intrusion analysis, incident response, network security, and enterprise networking. As an aspiring game changer, Glen is passionate about increasing cybersecurity awareness in his homeland, Trinidad and Tobago.