5 Different Phases of Ethical Hacking

5DIFFERENTPHASES OFETHICALHACKING

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OBSERVATION

A survey, often known as information collection, is the initial stage of ethical hacking. It entails gathering as much knowledge on the target system or network as feasible. Ethical hackers conduct research on the target company's workers, infrastructure, and third-party connections.

Open-source intelligence, social engineering tactics, and technologies such as Nmap and Shodan assist ethical hackers in gathering vital information for later phases.

SCANNING

The scanning phase begins when the ethical hacker has obtained a large amount of information. During this step, you aggressively probe the target system or network for open ports, services, or other vulnerabilities. Scanning technologies such as Nessus and OpenVAS assist ethical hackers in identifying flaws that may allow unauthorised access or other malicious activities.

GAINING ACCESS

Gaining unauthorised access to investigate the vulnerabilities and weaknesses discovered during the reconnaissance and scanning phases is the third phase of ethical hacking. To get access to a target system or network, ethical hackers use password cracking, sniffer, or exploiting weak setups.

MAINTAINING ACCESS

The ethical hacker advances to the fourth phase after successfully breaching a system or network. The goal here is to maintain access without being detected. This phase allows you to investigate the target system, get more important information, and elevate privileges. Ethical hackers use tactics such as backdoors, rootkits, or malicious software to keep access while minimising the possibility of detection by security measures.

COVERING TRACKS

Covering tracks is the final stage of ethical hacking, which entails removing all evidence of the hacker's presence from the hacked system or network. Ethical hackers must conceal their operations in order to avoid legal repercussions or to allow prospective malevolent actors to exploit the same vulnerabilities. This phase consists of eliminating harmful software, erasing logs, and returning the machine to its original state.