August 20, 2021 by Admin

An ethical hacker for a large security research firm performs penetration tests, vulnerability tests, and risk assessments. A friend recently started a company and asks the hacker to perform a penetration test and vulnerability assessment of the new company as a favor. What should the hacker’s next step be before starting work on this job?

• Start by foot printing the network and mapping out a plan of attack.
• Ask the employer for authorization to perform the work outside the company.
• Begin the reconnaissance phase with passive information gathering and then move into active information gathering.
• Use social engineering techniques on the friend’s employees to help identify areas that may be susceptible to attack.