What is reconnaissance?

by | Feb 1, 2021 | CompTIA, Data Breaches and Prevention, Exclusive Articles, Featured, Threats and Vulnerabilities Management

Reconnaissance

What is reconnaissance?

The term reconnaissance refers to obtaining information about the target before the actual cyberattack starts. In reconnaissance, the attackers gather information about the target by various means. Attackers can run automated scanners to find vulnerabilities in software used by the target company. They can investigate what all security systems are used by the target organization and how they are used. They can also collect information about the target that are publicly available.

For example, attackers can search through social media websites like LinkedIn. They can also do dumpster diving to find out useful information about the target. And, many times, attackers call employees or send emails to employees to collect information that they can later use for the cyberattack.

Reconnaissance is used by cyber attackers before the actual cyber attack is perpetrated. It is also used by ethical hackers in penetration testing.


In this article, we will discuss:

  • What is reconnaissance?

  • What is active reconnaissance?

  • What is passive reconnaissance?

  • How to prevent reconnaissance?

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Amrita Mitra

Author

Ms. Amrita Mitra is an author, who has authored the books “Cryptography And Public Key Infrastructure“, “Web Application Vulnerabilities And Prevention“, “A Guide To Cyber Security” and “Phishing: Detection, Analysis And Prevention“. She is also the founder of Asigosec Technologies, the company that owns The Security Buddy.

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