What do attackers do before launching an attack?
They invest time in reconnaissance and exploitation planning.
Why is pre-attack reconnaissance important to attackers?
It helps them choose effective attack vectors and plan how exploitation will be carried out.
Why should defenders understand pre-attack preparation?
It helps them recognise early warning signs and reduce the chance of successful exploitation.
What is reconnaissance in cybersecurity?
The process of gathering information about a target before launching an attack.
What is OSINT in the context of attacker reconnaissance?
Open Source Intelligence gathered from publicly available sources.
What sources do attackers use for OSINT?
Public websites, social media, job postings, and code repositories.
Why do attackers use social media during reconnaissance?
To gather information about employees, roles, and organisational behaviour.
Why are job postings useful to attackers?
They can reveal technologies, tools, and security platforms used by an organisation.
Why are code repositories useful to attackers?
They may expose development details, technologies, or accidental leaks.
What is technology fingerprinting?
Identifying the operating systems, applications, frameworks, and platforms used by a target.
Why do attackers perform technology fingerprinting?
To find suitable weaknesses and tailor attack methods to the environment.
What kinds of technologies do attackers try to identify?
Operating systems, applications, frameworks, and email platforms.
What is organisational mapping?
Learning reporting structures, employee roles, and communication patterns within an organisation.
Why do attackers perform organisational mapping?
To identify valuable targets and craft more convincing attacks.
What can attackers learn from employee roles and reporting structures?
Who has access, influence, or privileged permissions.
What is external exposure review?
Enumerating public-facing services, domains, and authentication portals.
Why do attackers review external exposure?
To identify reachable systems and possible entry points.
What does enumerating public-facing services mean?
Discovering internet-accessible systems, services, and portals.
Why are authentication portals valuable to attackers?
Because they may be targeted for credential theft or brute-force attempts.
What is credential intelligence?
Searching for leaked usernames, passwords, or reused credentials from previous breaches.
Why is credential intelligence useful to attackers?
It may give them valid access without needing to exploit software.
What kinds of credentials do attackers look for?
Leaked usernames, passwords, and reused login details.
What is vector selection in exploitation planning?
Choosing the method of attack, such as phishing, credential abuse, vulnerability exploitation, or social engineering.
What are common attack vectors chosen during planning?
Phishing, credential abuse, vulnerability exploitation, and social engineering.
