Ethical Hacking Lecture 2: Information Gathering

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Questions and Answers

Which of the following is NOT a type of information gathering mentioned in the content?

Information Warfare
Corporate Espionage
Competitive Intelligence
Social Engineering (correct)

Penetration testing frameworks often include a step for information gathering. What is the primary purpose of this step?

To gather information about the target's security posture and potential attack vectors. (correct)
To identify and exploit vulnerabilities in the target's system.
To test the effectiveness of the target's security controls.
To develop a detailed report of the target's security weaknesses.

What is a key difference between 'Competitive Intelligence' and 'Corporate Espionage'?

Competitive Intelligence aims to understand the target's strengths, while Corporate Espionage focuses on their weaknesses.
Competitive Intelligence focuses on gathering information from internal sources only, while Corporate Espionage targets external sources.
Competitive Intelligence uses legal and ethical means, while Corporate Espionage employs illegal and unethical tactics. (correct)
Competitive Intelligence is used for strategic planning, while Corporate Espionage is used for financial gain.

According to the content, what percentage of information required for successful competition is publicly available?

95% (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the intended outcome of the information gathering phase?

To create a list of potential attack vectors for the target. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the estimated annual loss to US industries due to corporate espionage, according to the content?

$70 billion (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of competitive intelligence?

Gaining an unfair advantage over competitors (D) Signup and view all the answers

According to the content, what is the definition of 'trade secret'?

Proprietary information that is not publicly known and provides a competitive advantage. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What can the target's external infrastructure profile reveal?

The technologies used internally (B) Signup and view all the answers

How can social engineering be effectively used during information gathering?

Interacting with identified information technology organizations (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following methods can provide information about remote access to a target?

Information on remote access portals visible on the homepage (D) Signup and view all the answers

What type of information can be extracted from publicly accessible files?

A list of known applications used by the organization (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is a technique used in passive fingerprinting?

Searching for discussions by technicians about technology issues (D) Signup and view all the answers

What does active fingerprinting typically entail?

Sending test packets to public systems for response profiling (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which aspect is crucial when discovering a target organization's defensive capabilities?

Understanding the complexity of defensive human capability (C) Signup and view all the answers

What factor can often complicate information gathering regarding a target's defenses?

The inherent complexity of human defensive capabilities (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is a key indicator that a target organization takes security seriously?

Presence of a CERT/CSIRT/PSRT team (B) Signup and view all the answers

What can be an indication of security responsibilities in non-security related job postings?

Listing of security as a requirement (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which tool can be used to gather email addresses from various search engines?

theHarvester (B) Signup and view all the answers

How can footprinting be defined in the context of information gathering?

A phase of information gathering from an external perspective (C) Signup and view all the answers

What would be a significant concern if an organization has outsourced its security?

Lack of internal security management (B) Signup and view all the answers

Where is it likely to find corporate email addresses publicly listed?

Parent-teacher association contact info (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is one method to verify an individual's social media presence?

Verifying their social media accounts (D) Signup and view all the answers

What might indicate that employees of a company are engaged in the security community?

Specific individuals active in security discussions (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following methods are NOT commonly used in Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) gathering?

Physical Security Analysis (A), Social Engineering (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the main reason for conducting Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) gathering?

To identify potential vulnerabilities and entry points into an organization (C) Signup and view all the answers

What kind of information would be most helpful for an attacker to gain access to an organization's network?

A detailed network topology diagram (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT considered a useful piece of information for an attacker to gather?

The company's marketing plan (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which of these scenarios best exemplifies "Information Warfare" as defined in the provided text?

A government utilizing cyberattacks to disrupt a foreign country's critical infrastructure (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT considered a common method employed by disgruntled employees in illicit activities?

Using company resources for personal benefit (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is one way that a company can protect itself from "Inside Jobs" by disgruntled employees?

Creating a positive and supportive work environment (C) Signup and view all the answers

How can "False Pretenses" be used to infiltrate a company for intelligence gathering?

Using social engineering techniques to gain access to confidential information (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) as described in the document?

OSINT is always accurate and up-to-date. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is a major limitation of passive information gathering, as described in the document?

It is unable to gather real-time data, making the information potentially outdated. (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of a semi-passive information gathering technique mentioned in the document?

Querying published name servers for information about the target organization's domain. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of the Wayback Machine, as per the document?

Storing and archiving websites to showcase their historical evolution. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What kind of information is typically found in a WHOIS lookup?

Personal contact information of the domain owner. (A) Signup and view all the answers

According to the document, what is a key consideration for companies and employees when it comes to online information?

The potential for online information to be used for malicious purposes. (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the difference between semi-passive and active information gathering?

Semi-passive methods aim to appear as normal internet traffic, while active methods involve more intrusive techniques. (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of "Google Dorking", as described in the document?

Using Google Search to find specific files or documents on a website. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of performing onsite information gathering, as described in the provided content?

To gather information about employees and their activities. (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which technique is NOT explicitly mentioned in the provided content as a part of onsite information gathering?

Social engineering (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of identifying offsite locations and their importance to the organization during information gathering?

To determine the target's reliance on external resources and create social engineering scenarios. (C) Signup and view all the answers

According to the content, which type of information can be obtained from mapping affiliate organizations tied to a target business?

The target's internal organizational hierarchy and key decision-makers. (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of ‘Active Information Gathering’ as mentioned in the content?

Using techniques that are likely to be detected by the target. (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the main benefit of understanding the ‘External Relationships’ of a target organization?

Creating targeted social engineering campaigns aimed at specific individuals. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which technique would be considered part of ‘Active Information Gathering’ as described in the provided content?

Using a port scanner to identify open ports on the target's network. (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential advantage of using the ‘Whois’ command line tool to query information about a domain?

It can provide details about the domain's owner, registrar, and other relevant information. (B) Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)

Data collected from publicly available sources used for intelligence purposes.

Passive Information Gathering

Collecting information without alerting the target, using only existing data.