Active Reconnaissance

Learn how to use simple tools such as traceroute, ping, telnet, and a web browser to gather information.

Active reconnaissance is the process of gathering information about a target system, network, or application by directly interacting with it. This typically involves sending requests or signals to the target to observe its responses. Examples include scanning for open ports, testing vulnerabilities, or using tools like nmap, ping, or Nikto.

Web Browser

An Web browser is all we need to gather information besides using command line tools. In this module about web browser section i learned about various tools like FroxyProxy Wappalyzer User-Agent Switcher and Manager and about browser developer tools.

• froxyproxy :- Quickly switch proxy servers for accessing target websites. Ideal for tools like Burp Suite or frequent proxy changes.
• Wappalyzer :- Identifies technologies used on visited websites, useful for gathering info while browsing.
• User-Agent Switcher and Manager :- Allows you to mimic accessing a webpage from a different OS or browser, like pretending to use an iPhone while on Firefox.

Ping

The ping command checks if a device or website is reachable on a network by sending small data packets and measuring how long it takes for them to return. It’s like saying “Hello, are you there?” and waiting for a response.

[!IMPORTANT] Below are some screenshots for ping command which answers the given questions in the room

• Deploy the VM for this task and using the AttackBox terminal, issue the command ping -c 10 10.10.166.101. How many ping replies did you get back?

Traceroute

Traceroute is a network tool that shows the path data takes to travel from your device to a target server. It lists all the routers (hops) the data passes through and shows how long it takes to reach each one. It's useful for diagnosing network issues or delays.

[!NOTE] note that the route taken by the packets might change as many routers use dynamic routing protocols that adapt to network changes.

Telnet

Telnet (teletype Network) is a network protocol that allows users to connect to and control remote computers over the internet or a local network, using a text-based command-line interface. It is mostly used for testing and troubleshooting but is outdated and insecure due to a lack of encryption.

Here is the screenshot for the answer in the room. I'm using nmap instead of telnet cuz it has some problem while using, the purpose is same :D

Netcat

Netcat (nc) is a versatile command-line networking tool used for reading, writing, and analyzing data across network connections. It can function as a port scanner, chat server, file transfer tool, or even a simple backdoor. It’s often called the "Swiss Army knife" of networking.

[!NOTES]

• the option -p should appear just before the port number you want to listen on.
• the option -n will avoid DNS lookups and warnings.
• port numbers less than 1024 require root privileges to listen on.

IDk why nc netcat is not working..

Putting It All Together

In this room I have learned about active recon using different tools including netcat, telnet, traceroute, ping and recon using web browser. Here are some cheats from the room. Commands and how to use them with examples

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