Footprinting and Reconnaissance

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Overview

Footprinting and reconnaissance, commonly known as information gathering, is a fundamental concept in cybersecurity that we encounter daily, from researching new restaurants to searching for people on social media. This course uses Microsoft as a target in many labs for familiarity. Note: We emphasize that students will only access publicly available information. Unauthorized penetration testing is a crime in numerous jurisdictions, so always ensure you comply with local laws and regulations.

In the Footprinting in Ethical Hacking training course, students will learn the basics of footprinting and reconnaissance, the initial step in ethical hacking, and explore commonly used tools for information gathering.

What is Footprinting in Ethical Hacking?

Footprinting is a key part of the reconnaissance process in ethical hacking. This step involves gathering as much information as possible about a target network or computer system to identify potential vulnerabilities. The data obtained during this step can reveal weaknesses that could be exploited.

During the footprinting phase, the information gathered may include:

Operating system of the target device
IP address
Firewall details
Network map
Server configuration
Security configurations
Email IDs and passwords
URLs
VPN information

Why is Footprinting Important?

Cybersecurity is crucial for all businesses and organizations due to the increasing frequency of cyberattacks. Protecting digital data, computer systems, and networks from cybercriminals is more important than ever. Cyber attackers can do much more than steal identities; they can sabotage business processes, extort money, and access or destroy sensitive data.

Ethical hacking allows IT professionals to view systems and networks from a criminal hacker's perspective using similar tools and methods to identify and fix vulnerabilities. Footprinting and reconnaissance provide essential information for this process. Without it, determining system vulnerabilities would be very challenging.

Cybrary’s Footprinting in Ethical Hacking training is a beginner-level course that introduces students to cybersecurity and ethical hacking careers. It's an initial step for those looking to learn ethical hacking.

What is Involved in this Footprinting in Ethical Hacking Course?

In this course, students will learn the fundamentals of footprinting and reconnaissance, the first step in ethical hacking. Students will become familiar with tools used for footprinting, including nslookup, whois, Shodan, Maltego, HTTrack, theHarvester, Recon-ng, and social engineering.

The course includes hands-on labs using Microsoft as the target, focusing only on publicly available information. The total duration is 2 hours and 37 minutes, and students will earn 3 CEU/CPE and receive a Certificate of Completion.

What Are the Different Types of Footprinting in Ethical Hacking?

Footprinting in ethical hacking is divided into two types: active and passive.

Active footprinting involves direct interaction with the target system, enabling the target to detect the IP address of the computer used.
Passive footprinting gathers information without interacting with the target system, often through public records or search engines, leaving no traceable IP address.

In this course, students will learn more about these two types and their applications in ethical hacking.

Why Take the Footprinting and Reconnaissance Tutorial?

The IT industry faces a shortage of cybersecurity professionals, making now an ideal time to start a career in cybersecurity. Understanding footprinting and reconnaissance is crucial for anyone pursuing a career in penetration testing or other cybersecurity roles.

This course is an excellent starting point for those looking to learn about footprinting and reconnaissance in ethical hacking. Registering for the course is simple; just click the Register button in the upper right corner of this screen.