Reconnaissance is typically the most critical step in a Penetration Testing exercise and can be the most time consuming. Any actions taken against a target is customized around results from Reconnaissance previously performed. The more data known about a target equates to the less likely to trigger alarms, as well as better chance of identifying a way to compromise the target. It is recommended to look at this chapter as a prerequisite to the remaining chapters in this textbook.

In this chapter, we focused on various ways to gather information about a target. We showcased some popular free tools available on the Internet, as well as Information Gathering utilities available in Kali Linux. At this point, you should be ready to evaluate targets identified through Reconnaissance for possible exploitation.

The next chapter will focus on identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities in web applications and web servers.