Analysis of Different Methods of Reconnaissance

Abstract

In the current digital world, we are exposed to a host of information. There's an immense wealth of knowledge base which can be tapped. While this could be used in good ways, there are possibilities of misuse of this information, for example, these days hacking websites is a common occurrence and this can compromise the security of the website, leading sometimes to consequences that can be even serious. In this article, the focus is on one of the important phases known as “reconnaissance”, which is step one in the methods of website hacking. This article uses the “Passive” method of gathering information. Different “OSINT” tools involved in the information gathering are used and the comparison of their performances is made against certain pre-determined outcomes. These various tools are used on two different websites one secure and another one vulnerable to ascertain variable outcomes depending on the level of security of each type of website. Various information is gathered by using the different tools which would be essential to perform the other steps followed after reconnaissance in the website hacking. An extensive analysis is also conducted to understand the consequences of website hacking on a company in the current scenario.