Footprinting & Reconnaissance

Footprinting:

Footprinting is the procedure whereby as much information as possible is gathered in relation to a target. In footprinting, the objective is to obtain specific details about the target, such as its operating systems and the service versions of running applications. The information that's collected can be used in various ways to gain access to the target system, network, or organization. Footprinting allows a penetration tester to understand the security posture of the target infrastructure, quickly identify security vulnerabilities on the

target systems and networks, create a network map of the organization, and reduce the area of focus to the specific IP addresses, domain names, and the types of devices regarding

which information is required.

Reconnaissance:

From a military perspective, reconnaissance is the observation and research of an enemy target. In cybersecurity, as a penetration tester, we use various tools and techniques to gather detailed information about a target organization and its underlying infrastructure.

Reconnaissance is vital in the field of penetration testing. As a penetration tester, we definitely need to know about our target, as well as its vulnerabilities and operating systems, before we attempt to gain access via exploitation. The information gathered during the reconnaissance phase will help us to choose the right tools and techniques to successfully exploit the target.