Active Scanning

Active scanning is a type of network scanning technique that is used to gather information about a target system or network. Unlike passive scanning, which only gathers information that is readily available, active scanning actively interacts with the target system to gather information.

It involves sending requests or packets to a target system and analyzing the responses to gather information about the target. This type of scanning is more aggressive and intrusive than passive scanning and is often used to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses in a target system or network.

It can be performed using a variety of tools and techniques, including port scanning, vulnerability scanning, and penetration testing. Port scanning involves sending requests to specific ports on a target system to determine which ports are open and which services are running. Vulnerability scanning involves identifying known vulnerabilities in a target system and attempting to exploit them.

The goal of active scanning is to gather as much information as possible about a target system or network. This information can be used to plan and execute a more sophisticated attack, such as a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack or a data breach.

While active scanning can provide valuable information about a target system or network, it can also pose a security risk. Active scanning can generate a large amount of network traffic and put a strain on target systems, potentially causing service disruptions or system crashes. Additionally, active scanning can trigger security measures, such as firewalls or intrusion detection systems (IDS), which can alert organizations to the presence of an attacker.

Scanning in ethical hacking is a network exploration technique used to identify the systems connected to an organization’s network. It provides information about the accessible systems, services, and resources on a target system. Some may refer to this type of scan as an active scan because it can potentially disrupt services on those hosts that are susceptible. Scanning is often used during vulnerability assessment when probing weaknesses in existing defenses.

There are two ways of scanning: 

• Active Scanning
• Passive Scanning

Scanning is more than just port scanning, but it is a very important part of this process. Scanning allows you to identify open ports on the target system and can be used for port mapping, performing an interactive session with the operating system via those ports, or even redirecting traffic from these open ports. There are many tasks that can be performed with a scanning tool.

Scanning can be as simple as creating a list of IP addresses and netmasks to scan all the active addresses on the network. This is called a ping sweep. Another method is performing a syn port scan, which is an active scan that sends TCP SYN packets to ports on the target system waiting for a reply. A syn port scan sends TCP SYN packets to ports that are open and waiting for replies, and an RST packet when it grants an RST/ACK (meaning that the port is closed). An example of open ports could be telnet and FTP, which are used by default.

Types of Scanning Techniques:

1. TCP connect scan: This is a scan that sends TCP SYN packets to each port on the target system, waiting for an RST/ACK. This is a steal their type of scan because it does not show the open ports on the target system. The last port that responds is its open port, and you can use this to your advantage to determine which ports are open.
2. TCP syn port scan: This is a similar type of scan, but the packets are TCP SYN packets and not TCP ACK. This type of scan sends packets to ports that are open and waiting for a reply.
3. Network Scanning: Network scanning is used to identify the devices and services that are running on a target network, determine their operating systems and software versions, and identify any potential security risks or vulnerabilities. Network scanning can be performed manually or automated using software tools, and can target specific systems or an entire network.
4. Vulnerability Scanning: Vulnerability scanning is a process of identifying, locating, and assessing the security vulnerabilities of a computer system, network, or application. This process is performed using automated software tools that scan for known vulnerabilities, as well as weaknesses in the configuration or implementation of the system being tested.