There are five phases involved in the process of hacking.
- Reconnaissance
- Scanning
- Access
- Maintaining access
- Clearing tracks
Reconnaissance
The initial phase of hacking, commonly referred to as the reconnaissance phase or information gathering and footprinting, involves a thorough and time-consuming process of observing and gathering information about an organization’s networks and servers. This phase may involve various techniques such as internet searching, social engineering, and non-intrusive network scanning, and may last for days, weeks, or even months depending on the target. The primary objective of this phase is to acquire as much information as possible about the potential target, and typically involves collecting information about three specific groups.
- People Involved
- Host
- Network
There are two types of footprinting:
- Active: During active reconnaissance, information is gathered by directly engaging with the target. One tool that can be utilized for scanning the target is Nmap. This approach involves actively seeking out and interacting with the target in order to obtain relevant information.
- Passive: Passive reconnaissance involves gathering information about the target indirectly, typically by collecting data from publicly accessible websites and social media platforms.
Scanning
Once all the relevant information about the target organization has been gathered, the hacker proceeds to scan the network for exploitable vulnerabilities. During this scan, the hacker specifically searches for weaknesses such as outdated applications, open services, and ports, as well as the types of equipment being used on the network.
There are three types of scanning involved in the hacking process:
- Port scanning: is a phase in the hacking process that involves scanning the target for information such as live systems, open ports, and various systems that may be running on the host.
- The Vulnerability scanning phase involves examining the target for vulnerabilities that can potentially be exploited, which can be achieved through the use of automated tools. This phase typically involves using scanning tools to automatically check the target for potential weaknesses that may be exploitable.
- Network Mapping involves creating a visual representation of available information by identifying and mapping out routers, network topology, firewall servers, and host details. This map can be a valuable resource during the hacking process.
Gaining Access
During the exploitation phase of the hacking process, the hacker leverages the knowledge gained from the previous phases to gain access to sensitive data. Once the hacker gains access, they may use the network to attack other targets, often with a degree of control over other devices. To gain access, the hacker may employ various techniques such as brute forcing.
Maintaining Access
The post-exploitation phase of the hacking process provides hackers with various options to maintain access to devices, including creating a backdoor. With a backdoor in place, a hacker can perform a persistent attack on the network without the risk of losing access to the device. However, backdoors can be noisy, making it more likely for a hacker to be discovered, as they leave a larger footprint for the intrusion detection system (IDS). Despite the risks, using a backdoor enables a hacker to access the system at any point in the future.
Clearing Tracks
An ethical hacker strives to avoid leaving a trace of their activities during the hacking process. As such, it is necessary to remove any files related to the attack during the clearing tracks phase. The primary objective of this phase is to eliminate all traces of the hacker’s presence, making it difficult for anyone to detect their identity.
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