ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors go over ways that hackers go about researching the targets they wish to attack. Smart hackers likely won’t go in with guns blazing trying to hack any system or network available to them. They have very specific motivations for what they are targeting and reasons for what they want to attack. Hackers are targeting something specific, and need to find many different avenues and routes to get to that specific target in order to attack. The authors focus on indirect research means, because most direct contact has to deal with vulnerability and exploit research. Research can be conducted directly or indirectly, trying to gather as much as intelligence as possible and learn everything the hacker can about his target. Generally, when hackers are doing research initially most of it will be external information, which is external to the organization.
