Ethical Hacking
Linux and Unix systems are no different from Windows systems and can be enumerated as well. The difference lies in the tools and the approach. In this section you will take a look at a handful of the tools that have proven useful in exploring these systems. finger The finger command is designed to return … Read more
Another useful mechanism for enumerating a target system is the Simple Network Manage- ment Protocol (SNMP). This protocol is used to assist in the management of devices such as routers, hubs, and switches, among others. SNMP comes in three versions: SNMPv1 This version of the protocol was introduced as a standardized mechanism for managing network … Read more
The Microsoft Windows operating system is designed to be used as either a stand-alone or a networked environment; however, for this discussion you will assume a networked setup only. In the Windows world, securing access to resources, objects, and other components is handled through many mechanisms, but there are some things that are common to … Read more
Enumeration is the process of extracting information from a target system in an organized and methodical manner. During enumeration you should be able to extract information such as usernames, machine names, shares, and services from a system as well as other information depending on the operating environment. Unlike with previous phases, you are initiating active … Read more
How do you check for live systems in a targeted environment? There are plenty of ways to accomplish this. Some common ways to perform these types of scans are: ■ Wardialing ■ Wardriving ■ Pinging ■ Port scanning Each of these techniques, along with others we will explore, offers something that the others don’t, or … Read more
Networking scanning is a methodical process that involves probing a target network with the intent of finding out information about it and using that information for attack phases. If you have a command of network and system fundamentals, coupled with thorough reconnaissance it is possible to get a reasonable picture of a network—in some cases, … Read more
There are many steps in the footprinting process, each of which will yield a different type of information. Remember to log each piece of information that you gather no matter how insignificant it may seem at the time. Using Search Engines One of the first steps in the process of footprinting tends to be using … Read more
Social Engineering One of the easiest ways to gain information about a target or to get information in general is to just ask for it. When asking doesn’t work, you can try manipulating people with the goal of getting that gem of information that can give you useful insight. Network and System Attacks These are … Read more
Open Source and Passive Information Gathering As far as intelligence gathering goes, open source or passive information gathering is the least aggressive. Basically the process relies on obtaining information from those sources that are typically publicly available and out in the open. Potential sources include newspapers, websites, discussion groups, press releases, television, social networking, blogs, … Read more
Before you start doing footprinting and learn the techniques, you must set some expectations as to what you are looking for and what you should have in your hands at the end of the process. Keep in mind that the list of information here is not exhaustive, nor should you expect to be able to … Read more