Reconnaissance and Methodology

🕵️ Penetration Testing: The Art of Finding Hidden Doors

The Story of the Friendly Detective

Imagine you have a big castle with many doors and windows. Your parents want to make sure no bad guys can sneak in. So they hire a friendly detective to try and find all the weak spots BEFORE any bad guy does.

That’s exactly what penetration testing is! Security experts (the friendly detectives) try to find holes in computer systems so we can fix them first.

🎯 What is Pen Test Methodology?

Think of it like a recipe for baking cookies. You need to follow steps in the right order!

The 5-Step Recipe for Testing

graph TD
    A["1. 🔍 RECONNAISSANCE"] --> B["2. 🎯 SCANNING"]
    B --> C["3. 🚪 GAINING ACCESS"]
    C --> D["4. 📊 MAINTAINING ACCESS"]
    D --> E["5. 📝 REPORTING"]

Step-by-Step Breakdown:

⚖️ Ethical Hacking Principles

The Golden Rules of Friendly Hacking

Remember when your mom said “always ask before borrowing”? Ethical hacking has the same idea!

The 3 Big Rules:

1. ALWAYS get permission 📝

   • Example: A company signs a paper saying “Yes, please test our systems”

2. NEVER cause real damage 🛡️

   • Example: You find a weak door but DON’T break it - you just report it

3. KEEP secrets secret 🤫

   • Example: If you find customer data, you protect it - never share it

White Hat vs Black Hat

Think of cowboy movies!

Simple Example:

• White Hat: “Hi Company X, I found your door is unlocked. Here’s how to fix it!”
• Black Hat: “I found an unlocked door… let me steal everything inside.”

🧪 Security Testing Methodologies

These are like different playbooks for different games!

Popular Methodologies

1. OWASP (Web Apps) Like a checklist for checking websites. “Did you check the login page? Did you check the forms?”

2. PTES (Penetration Testing Execution Standard) A complete guide from start to finish - like a full recipe book.

3. OSSTMM (Open Source Security Testing) Very detailed rules - like having a referee watching every move.

4. NIST Framework Government-approved guidelines - like official rulebook from teachers.

graph TD
    A["Choose a&lt;br&gt;Methodology"] --> B{What are you<br>testing?}
    B -->|Website| C["OWASP"]
    B -->|Full System| D["PTES"]
    B -->|Network| E["OSSTMM"]
    B -->|Government| F["NIST"]

🔍 Reconnaissance Techniques

This is like being a detective BEFORE knocking on doors!

Two Types of Reconnaissance

Passive Reconnaissance 🌙

• You watch from far away
• Target NEVER knows you’re looking
• Example: Looking at someone’s public social media

Active Reconnaissance ☀️

• You interact directly
• Target MIGHT notice you
• Example: Knocking on doors to see who answers

What Detectives Look For

Real Example: Looking at a job posting that says “Must know WordPress” tells the detective the company uses WordPress!

🌐 OSINT (Open Source Intelligence)

OSINT is finding information that’s already PUBLIC - like reading newspapers!

OSINT is Like a Treasure Hunt

Everything you find is already out there. You’re not stealing - you’re DISCOVERING!

Popular OSINT Sources:

🔹 Social Media - Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter 🔹 Public Records - Government databases 🔹 News Articles - Company announcements 🔹 Job Postings - Technology clues 🔹 Domain Records - Who owns websites

OSINT Tools (The Detective’s Gadgets)

Example Google Dork:

site:company.com filetype:pdf

This finds all PDF files on company.com - maybe they left important documents public!

👣 Footprinting and Enumeration

Footprinting: Following the Trail

Like tracking footprints in snow to learn about someone!

What We Collect:

graph TD
    A["🎯 TARGET"] --> B["Domain Names"]
    A --> C["IP Addresses"]
    A --> D["Network Map"]
    A --> E["Employee Info"]
    A --> F["Email Addresses"]
    A --> G["Technology Stack"]

Passive Footprinting Example:

• Check whois company.com - Find who registered the website
• Read DNS records - Find mail servers, subdomains

Active Footprinting Example:

• Ping the server - See if it responds
• Port scan - Find what doors are open

Enumeration: Making a List

After finding footprints, now LIST everything you discovered!

What We Enumerate:

Simple Nmap Example:

nmap -sV target.com

This scans target.com and lists all open doors (ports) with what’s behind each door!

🎓 Putting It All Together

The Detective’s Full Journey

1. Get Permission ✅ (Ethical principle)
2. Choose Your Method 📋 (OWASP, PTES, etc.)
3. Start Watching 👀 (Passive recon)
4. Gather Public Info 🌐 (OSINT)
5. Follow Footprints 👣 (Footprinting)
6. Make Your List 📝 (Enumeration)
7. Report Everything 📊 (Help fix issues!)

Why This Matters

Every time you use a website, someone (hopefully!) tested it first to keep your information safe. These friendly detectives work behind the scenes so you can:

• Shop online safely 🛒
• Use banking apps without worry 💳
• Share photos with friends securely 📸

🏆 Key Takeaways

You’re now ready to understand how the good guys keep us safe! 🛡️

Remember: Real penetration testers are like superheroes - they use their powers for good, always with permission, to make everyone’s digital life safer.