In this chapter, we will begin the process of gathering information on our target. This begins with utilizing passive information-gathering techniques using public sources and moves into the active scanning of our target. At this point, it makes sense for us to discuss what our strategy is. Once the targets are determined, we will want to start collecting information on them. One of the key pieces of information is their domain. The Domain Name System (DNS) is a system of databases used to look up IP address(es) for a domain or, given an IP address, provide the domain name associated with it. Identifying the domains and subdomains associated with the target will provide us with a better idea of the targets assets and organization. We start by using Google and other public sources to reveal what we can. This is called reconnaissance or passive information gathering.
When we have completed finding what...
