Network Security, Firewalls, and VPNs, 3rd Edition

The Hacking Process

As much as cybersecurity professionals dislike the practice, hacking can be a fascinating process. Hackers’ activities often appear chaotic and random, at least when observed from the mainstream IT industry. Hackers do not have to follow any fixed procedures or recognize any established boundaries. Instead, they seek vulnerabilities on a selected target, using any and all means at their disposal. For them, chaos is both a methodology and a defense mechanism.

Generally, hacking falls into five main subgroups of events or activities referred to as phases. This categorization can represent hacking, but it does not actually control or prevent it. The five categories are reconnaissance, scanning, enumeration, attacking, and ...