Reconnaisance and Information Gathering

Introduction 

Reconnaissance, also known as "information gathering", refers to the process of collecting information about a target or potential target. This can include information about the target's physical characteristics, location, and activities, as well as information about the people and organizations associated with the target.

Reconnaissance can be conducted in a variety of ways, including through physical surveillance, online research, or by using specialized tools and techniques. The goal of reconnaissance is typically to gain a better understanding of its target's capabilities and vulnerabilities and to plan and execute future operations accordingly.

Reconnaissance or Information Gathering in Cybersecurity 

In cybersecurity, reconnaissance is a method used by cyber attackers or ethical hackers that refers to the process of gathering information about a target, such as a computer network, website, or individual, to identify vulnerabilities that can be exploited. This information-gathering process can be both automated and manual and can involve techniques such as port scanning, vulnerability scanning, social engineering, OSINT (open-source intelligence), passive reconnaissance, and active reconnaissance. The goal of reconnaissance in cybersecurity is typically to gain as much information as possible about a target to identify potential vulnerabilities that can be exploited in a future attack. Reconnaissance is the first step in the cyber kill chain, a methodology used to describe the stages of a cyber attack. It allows the attacker to gather information about the target and plan the attack accordingly.

Methods of Reconnaissance

Several methods of information gathering are used in cybersecurity, each with its advantages and disadvantages. The two main methods of Information gathering in cyber security are :

Active Reconnaissance

This involves actively probing or interacting with the target system to gather information. Some examples of active reconnaissance include port scanning, vulnerability scanning, and social engineering. Active reconnaissance can provide a wealth of information about the target, but it also carries a higher risk of detection and can potentially disrupt the target's operations.

Passive Reconnaissance 

This involves gathering information about the target without actively interacting with it. This is more like a detective gathering clues. Examples of passive reconnaissance include observing network traffic, analyzing DNS records, and using search engines to gather information about the target.

Passive reconnaissance is less likely to be detected and can provide a lot of information about the target, but it may be less detailed than active reconnaissance.

Several other information-gathering techniques come under these two methods. Some of the most common ones are listed below.

Information Gathering Techniques

• Social Engineering:
  Social engineering is the process of using psychological manipulation techniques to deceive people into providing sensitive information or performing certain actions. It is a form of passive reconnaissance that does not involve actively probing or interacting with a target system. Social engineering techniques can include phishing, baiting, scareware, impersonation, dumpster diving, and shoulder surfing.

• Footprinting:
  This technique involves gathering information about the target's network infrastructure and assets, such as IP addresses, WHOIS records, DNS records, and other technical details.

• Network Scanning:
  Network scanning is a technique used to identify active systems and open ports on a network. It is an active reconnaissance method that involves sending packets to a range of IP addresses or ports on a target system and analyzing the responses. Network scanning can be done using a variety of tools, such as ping sweeps and port scanners. The goal of network scanning is to create a map of the target network, including the IP addresses of active systems, open ports, and services. This information can help security professionals identify vulnerabilities and plan their attacks.

• Vulnerability Scanning:
  This technique involves using specialized tools to scan a target's assets for known vulnerabilities.

• War Dialing:
  War dialing is a technique used in reconnaissance in cybersecurity that involves automatically dialing a range of phone numbers to identify active modems. It is an active reconnaissance method that is used to identify potential targets for a future attack. War dialing is typically done by using specialized software tools, which can dial a large number of phone numbers in a short period. Once a modem is identified, the war dialer will attempt to connect to the modem and determine if it is accessible and what type of device it is. War dialing is a relatively simple but effective technique that can be used to identify potential vulnerabilities in a target system. It can also be used as a means of identifying phone numbers that are in use and potentially in use by employees of a target organization.

• Reconnaissance with physical observation:
  This technique involves physically observing the target's location, activities, and assets.

• Dumpster Diving:
  Dumpster diving is a technique used in cybersecurity that involves looking through an organization's trash to gather information. It is a form of physical reconnaissance that can be used to gain information about a target organization. Dumpster driving can be used to find information that has been discarded, such as old documents, memos, and hardware. The information found can be used to gain an understanding of the target organization's security policies and procedures, as well as gain access to sensitive information such as login credentials, network diagrams, and other confidential data.

• Open-source Intelligence (OSINT):
  Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) refers to the process of collecting, analyzing, and disseminating publicly available information. The information can be found on various sources such as the internet, social media, newspapers, publications, government reports, etc.

  OSINT is used to gather information about a wide range of topics, including political, economic, military, and security-related issues. The goal of OSINT is to gather the information that is not classified but could be valuable for decision-making, threat intelligence, investigations, and research purposes.

Analysis of Information

Once the information is collected through reconnaissance, it needs to be analyzed to extract valuable insights and make sense of the data. The process of analyzing the information can involve several different techniques and methods, depending on the specific context and the information being analyzed. Some common techniques used in the analysis of reconnaissance information in cybersecurity include:

• Threat intelligence:
  This involves identifying and analyzing information about known and emerging threats, such as malware, phishing campaigns, and other types of cyber attacks.
• Vulnerability assessment:
  This involves identifying and analyzing vulnerabilities in an organization's systems, networks, and applications, and determining the best course of action to mitigate those vulnerabilities.
• Network traffic analysis:
  This involves analyzing network traffic to identify patterns, anomalies, and suspicious activity that may indicate a security incident.
• Log analysis:
  This involves analyzing log files from various systems and devices to identify patterns, anomalies, and suspicious activity that may indicate a security incident.
• Malware analysis:
  This involves analyzing malware samples to understand their behavior, capabilities, and potential vulnerabilities.
• Risk assessment:
  This involves evaluating the potential risks associated with a particular target or vulnerability and determining the best course of action to mitigate those risks.