Reconnaissance is the initial phase of a penetration test or attack where information about the target is gathered. Passive reconnaissance collects publicly available information (OSINT) without directly interacting with the target. Active reconnaissance involves direct interaction, such as port scanning and service enumeration. Tools include Nmap for network scanning, theHarvester for email enumeration, and Shodan for internet-connected device discovery. Thorough reconnaissance is critical for identifying attack vectors.
Cybersecurity