Introduction to Ethical Hacking:

Ethical hacking is a process of hacking into computer systems, networks, applications, or other computer
resources with the intention of identifying and fixing potential security vulnerabilities. It is also known as
"white hat hacking," and it is performed with the permission of the owner of the system being tested.

Why Ethical Hacking is necessary?

Ethical hacking is necessary because it helps organizations to identify and address security vulnerabilities
in their computer systems, networks, and applications. Without ethical hacking, security vulnerabilities
can go undetected, leaving organizations vulnerable to cyber attacks that can result in financial losses,
data breaches, and reputational damage.

What are the Types of Ethical Hacking?

Web Application Hacking: This involves testing web applications for security vulnerabilities such as SQL
injection, cross-site scripting, and buffer overflow attacks.

Network Hacking: This involves testing the security of network infrastructure, such as firewalls, routers,
and switches, to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.

Wireless Network Hacking: This involves testing the security of wireless networks, such as Wi-Fi, to
identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.

Social Engineering: This involves using psychological manipulation to gain access to confidential
information, such as passwords or sensitive data.

Email Phishing: This involves sending fraudulent emails to users with the intention of tricking them into
revealing sensitive information or downloading malicious software.

Operating System Hacking: This involves testing the security of operating systems, such as Windows or
Linux, to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.

What are the Steps involved in Ethical Hacking?

Planning and Preparation: In this phase, the ethical hacker defines the scope of the testing, determines the
testing methodology, and obtains permission from the owner of the system being tested.
Reconnaissance: In this phase, the ethical hacker gathers information about the target system, including
its IP address, operating system, and network topology.
Scanning: In this phase, the ethical hacker scans the target system for open ports, vulnerabilities, and
other security weaknesses.
Gaining Access: In this phase, the ethical hacker attempts to gain access to the target system using
various techniques such as password cracking, social engineering, or exploiting software vulnerabilities.
Maintaining Access: In this phase, the ethical hacker tries to maintain access to the target system for as
long as possible, without being detected.
Covering Tracks: In this phase, the ethical hacker removes any traces of their activities from the target
system, to avoid being detected.
Reporting: In this final phase, the ethical hacker reports their findings to the owner of the system being
tested, along with recommendations for addressing any security vulnerabilities that were identified.

Conclusion:

Ethical hacking is an important process that helps organizations to identify and address security
vulnerabilities in their computer systems, networks, and applications. By following a defined
methodology and obtaining permission from the owner of the system being tested, ethical hackers can
help to prevent cyber attacks and protect organizations from financial losses, data breaches, and
reputational damage.

Information Security Controls

Information security controls are measures taken to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability
of information in an organization. They are a set of policies, procedures, and technical mechanisms used
to protect information and information systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption,
modification, or destruction.

There are various types of information security controls, which can be broadly categorized as follows:

Administrative Controls: These are policies, procedures, and guidelines that are implemented by an
organization to manage and control the security of its information. They include the following:
Security policies and procedures
Risk management
Security awareness training
Access control management
Incident management
Business continuity planning
Physical Controls: These are measures implemented to prevent unauthorized physical access to
information systems and facilities. Physical controls include the following:
Security perimeters
Access control systems
Video surveillance
Security guards
Environmental controls (e.g., temperature and humidity control)
Technical Controls: These are mechanisms implemented to control access to information systems and
data. Technical controls include the following:
Authentication and authorization
Encryption
Firewall and intrusion detection and prevention systems
Antivirus and anti-malware software
Backup and recovery systems

NMAP Commands
IDS/firewall evasion techniques
Fragmentation: Attackers can fragment packets so that the IDS/firewall cannot reassemble them
and thus cannot detect the malicious payload. Fragmentation can also be used to evade signature-
based detection, where the IDS/firewall is configured to look for specific patterns or signatures
in the network traffic.
Tunneling: Attackers can use tunneling protocols, such as Virtual Private Network (VPN), to
bypass the IDS/firewall. Tunneling encapsulates the malicious traffic within an encrypted tunnel
that appears to be legitimate traffic to the IDS/firewall, allowing the attacker to bypass the
security controls.
Protocol-level attacks: Attackers can exploit weaknesses in the protocols used by the
IDS/firewall to bypass them. For example, an attacker may use a malformed packet or a packet
with an invalid protocol field to bypass the IDS/firewall.
Source IP spoofing: Attackers can spoof the source IP address of the network traffic to make it
appear to be coming from a trusted source, such as an internal host, thus bypassing the
IDS/firewall.
Timing-based attacks: Attackers can use timing-based attacks, such as slow scans or low and
slow attacks, to bypass the IDS/firewall. These attacks are designed to mimic legitimate traffic
and evade detection by spreading out the malicious traffic over a longer period.
To defend against these evasion techniques, security professionals can use a combination of
signature-based and anomaly-based detection techniques, as well as implementing security
measures such as intrusion prevention systems (IPS), network segmentation, and access control
policies. Additionally, regularly updating the security software and maintaining a strong security
posture can help to minimize the risk of successful attacks.
Source routing: This is a technique where the attacker specifies the path that the network traffic
should take through the network. By manipulating the source routing information, the attacker
can bypass network security measures and access devices that would normally be protected by
the firewall. This technique is particularly dangerous when combined with IP spoofing, as it
allows the attacker to route traffic through multiple devices before reaching the target, making it
more difficult to trace the source of the attack.
MAC address spoofing: MAC address spoofing involves changing the Media Access Control
(MAC) address of a network device to a different address. This technique is commonly used to
bypass MAC address filtering, which is a common security measure used to control access to a
network. By spoofing a legitimate MAC address, the attacker can gain access to the network
without being detected.
IP address decoy: An IP address decoy involves sending network traffic from multiple IP
addresses in an attempt to confuse and overwhelm the target system. This technique is
commonly used in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, where the attacker floods the
target system with traffic from multiple sources, making it difficult for the target to distinguish
legitimate traffic from the malicious traffic.
Source port manipulation: Source port manipulation involves changing the source port number of
a network connection to bypass firewalls and other security measures that are configured to
allow only specific port numbers. By using a port number that is allowed through the firewall,
the attacker can evade detection and gain access to the target system.
An anonymizer is a tool or service that allows a user to browse the internet anonymously by
hiding their real IP address and other identifying information. Anonymizers work by acting as a
middleman between the user and the website they are accessing, relaying traffic through a
network of servers and replacing the user's IP address with a different one.
There are different types of anonymizers available, including web-based anonymizers and client-
based anonymizers. Web-based anonymizers are typically free services that allow users to enter
the URL of the website they want to visit and then display the website in a frame on their own
website. Client-based anonymizers are software applications that need to be installed on the
user's device and provide more comprehensive privacy protection.

Network Enumeration
Network enumeration is a crucial part of ethical hacking, which is the process of gathering
information about a target network. The goal of network enumeration is to discover as much
information as possible about a network's configuration, systems, services, and users. This
information can then be used to identify potential vulnerabilities and weaknesses that can be
exploited during a penetration test.
The following are some of the techniques used in network enumeration:
Port Scanning: This involves scanning a target network for open ports and services running on
those ports. This can be done using tools such as Nmap, which can scan for open ports, identify
the services running on those ports, and gather information about the operating system.
Service Identification: Once open ports have been identified, the next step is to identify the
services running on those ports. This can be done using tools such as Netcat or Telnet to connect
to the open ports and request information about the running services.

Operating System Identification: Network enumeration can also involve identifying the operating
system running on the target network. This can be done using tools such as Nmap, which can
detect the operating system based on the network packets being sent and received.
User Enumeration: Once information about the network and systems has been gathered, the next
step is to identify user accounts and their privileges. This can be done by using tools such as
NetBIOS or LDAP to query the network for user accounts, or by attempting to log in to the
network using default or weak credentials.
Network Mapping: Finally, network enumeration can also involve mapping the network
topology, identifying the relationships between systems, and the paths that data takes through the
network. This can be done using tools such as traceroute or pathping to identify the network path
between two systems.
It is important to note that network enumeration is only one part of the ethical hacking process,
and it should always be done with the permission of the network owner. Additionally, ethical
hackers should always be aware of the legal and ethical considerations involved in network
enumeration and ensure that they are not causing harm to the target network or violating any
laws or regulations.