The reconnaissance or information-gathering phase is where the attacker focuses on acquiring meaningful information about their target. This is the most important phase in hacking: the more details known about the target, the easier it is to compromise a weakness and exploit it.

The following are techniques used in the reconnaissance phase:

• Using search engines to gather information
• Using social networking platforms
• Performing Google hacking
• Performing DNS interrogation
• Social engineering

In this phase, the objective is to gather as much information as possible about the target. In the next section, we will discuss using a more directed approach, and engage the target to get more specific and detailed information.