✨ The Art of Reconnaissance: How Hackers Gather Intel

Cybersecurity is a battlefield, and reconnaissance is the first step in every hacker’s strategy. Whether ethical hackers (penetration testers) or malicious attackers, reconnaissance is crucial for gathering information about a target before launching an attack. This phase helps hackers uncover weak points, misconfigurations, and sensitive data that could be exploited.

In this blog, we will explore how hackers gather intelligence, the tools they use, and how organizations can defend against reconnaissance attacks.

Reconnaissance (or recon) is the process of collecting information about a target system, network, or individual. Hackers use this phase to identify weaknesses that can be exploited in later stages of an attack. This is similar to a thief scouting a neighborhood before attempting a burglary.

There are two types of reconnaissance: