Cracking password with hashcat

Scanning for open ports using Nmap

Gathering public information from social media

Enumerating DNS records

Passive / Active

Active / Passive

Passive / Passive

Active / Active

WHOIS

Ping

Traceroute

nslookup

Packet crafting and firewall testing

Network file sharing

Web server hosting

Database management

Check DNS records

Check disk usage

Display environment variables

Download files from the internet

SYN Stealth Scan

UDP Scan

Ping Sweep

Connect Scan

Service Version Detection

Subnet Validation

Session Verification

Source Value Identification

Network sniffing

Social engineering

Password cracking

Physical security audit

Smart card

Password

Fingerprint

Security question

Password

Username

Email address

Phone number

To ensure CIA principles

To improve system performance

To reduce software development cost

To enhance user interface aesthetics

To increase network bandwidth

Creating and configuring user accounts

Monitoring network traffic

Designing user interfaces

Managing hardware inventory

One-Time Password

Online Transaction Protocol

Open Text Platform

Official Test Paper

Credentials are kept secret

Credentials are always encrypted during transmission

Users are always authenticated

Passwords are never changed

User and resource attributes

Password policies

Network protocols

Encryption algorithms

Fingerprint

Password

PIN

Security Token

Password history policy

Password complexity policy

Account lockout policy

Password expiration policy

Analysis and documentation

Incident eradication

Threat containment

Vulnerability scanning

ipconfig

ping

netstat

tracert

traceroute

ping

netstat

ifconfig

Check DNS records.

Create a new user account.

Install software packages.

Format the hard drive.

SYN Stealth Scan.

UDP Scan.

Ping Sweep.

Version Detection.

Gaming online.

Scanning network ports.

Gathering information from social media.

Phishing for credentials.

Reconnaissance.

Weaponization.

Delivery.

Exfiltration.

Passive / Active.

Active / Passive.

Internal / External.

Direct / Indirect.

Open Source Intelligence.

Online Security Information Technology.

Operational System Integration.

Official Source Information Technology.

dig

ls

cd

ping

amass or sublist3r.

Nmap.

Wireshark.

Metasploit.

TheHarvester can find information such as email addresses, subdomains, IPs, and URLs.

TheHarvester can only find usernames and passwords.

TheHarvester can only find phone numbers and physical addresses.

TheHarvester can only find credit card details and bank account numbers.

To control and monitor administrative accounts and prevent misuse of privileges.

To provide unlimited access to all users.

To eliminate the need for authentication.

To allow guest users to manage system settings.

Authenticate once to access multiple systems or applications.

Create multiple accounts for different applications.

Require separate passwords for each system.

Log in with a different username for every application.

It allows apps to access user data from another service without sharing passwords.

It encrypts user passwords for secure storage.

It manages user roles and permissions within an application.

It provides multi-factor authentication for users.

To organize users with similar permissions and simplify access control through group-based policies.

To increase the system's processing speed.

To prevent users from accessing the terminal.

To automatically install software for all users.

The -m flag automatically creates a home directory for the user, ensuring a proper environment for login and file storage.

It sets the user's password to 'm' by default.

It assigns the user to the 'm' group automatically.

It prevents the user from logging in remotely.

/etc/passwd stores user account details; /etc/group defines user group memberships.

/etc/passwd stores group information; /etc/group stores user passwords.

/etc/passwd and /etc/group both store user passwords.

/etc/passwd stores only root user details; /etc/group stores only admin group memberships.

id

whoami

groups

passwd

It provides secure remote access to the system using encrypted communication channels.

It manages local user accounts and passwords.

It is responsible for printing documents to network printers.

It handles file system mounting and unmounting operations.

It restricts SSH login permissions only to members of specified groups.

It allows all users to log in without any restrictions.

It disables password authentication for all users.

It sets the maximum number of SSH connections allowed.

Changes to configuration files are applied only after the SSH daemon is reloaded or restarted.

To update the system kernel for SSH.

To reset all user passwords.

To enable remote desktop access.

No password-based authentication would be allowed.

Only public key authentication would be allowed.

Password authentication would still be possible.

Challenge-response authentication would be enabled.

To demonstrate how weak passwords can be exploited and to learn how to detect and mitigate such attacks.

To test the speed of the network connection.

To install new software on the server.

To create backup copies of user data.

Excessive parallel connections can cause the SSH service to reject requests or temporarily disable access.

It guarantees faster password cracking without any downsides.

High thread counts will always bypass SSH security measures.

Using high thread counts will encrypt all traffic automatically.

By reviewing /var/log/auth.log or journalctl -u ssh, which show repeated attempts.

By checking /etc/passwd for new users.

By monitoring CPU temperature logs.

By inspecting /var/log/dmesg for hardware errors.

PAM (Pluggable Authentication Modules) allows integration of additional security features, like 2FA, into the authentication process.

PAM modules are used to increase network speed during SSH authentication.

PAM modules are required for SSH to support file transfers.

PAM modules are used to encrypt SSH traffic.

Time-based One-Time Password (TOTP) authentication.

Password-based authentication.

Biometric authentication.

Certificate-based authentication.

/etc/pam.d/sshd

/etc/pam.d/login

/etc/pam.d/system-auth

/etc/pam.d/common-auth

It allows SSH to prompt users for an additional dynamic verification code after password entry.

It enables SSH to use public key authentication only.

It disables password authentication entirely.

It allows SSH to bypass all authentication checks.

The SSH service will fail to start, producing a error in system logs.

The SSH service will ignore the invalid option and start normally without error.

The SSH service will automatically correct the invalid option and restart.

The SSH service will prompt the user to fix the configuration before starting.

Multiple failed password attempts, connection drops, and messages like repeated attempts.

Single successful login with no errors.

Frequent use of secure shell keys without password prompts.

Consistent logins from the same trusted IP address.

They help correlate events, identify the exact time of compromise, and reconstruct the attack timeline.

They allow investigators to ignore irrelevant data and focus only on user credentials.

Timestamps are used solely for system performance monitoring, not for security analysis.

Analyzing timestamps helps in encrypting sensitive data during an incident.

Lock compromised accounts and reset passwords; analyze affected systems for data access or exfiltration; implement stricter authentication policies and monitoring.

Ignore the attack and continue normal operations; only monitor for future incidents.

Disable SSH service permanently on all servers without further investigation.

Inform users to change their passwords at their discretion, but take no further action.

A computer security incident is any accidental or deliberate activity that compromises the confidentiality, integrity, or availability (CIA) of information systems or data.

A computer security incident is any routine maintenance performed on a computer system.

A computer security incident is any software update applied to improve system performance.

A computer security incident is any scheduled backup of important files.

Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability

Control, Investigation, Analysis

Communication, Innovation, Adaptability

Compliance, Inspection, Assessment

Preparation, Identification, Containment, Eradication, Recovery, Lessons Learned.

Preparation, Investigation, Correction, Evaluation, Restoration, Learning.

Planning, Inspection, Control, Elimination, Reinstatement, Learning.

Prevention, Investigation, Correction, Examination, Recovery, Learning.

Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response. Its purpose is to automate and coordinate incident response processes.

System Optimization and Analysis Resource. Its purpose is to improve network performance.

Secure Operations and Risk. Its purpose is to manage organizational risk.

Software Orchestration and Recovery. Its purpose is to restore systems after failure.

Incidents reach the right level of management quickly.

All incidents are ignored until further notice.

Incidents are resolved without any management involvement.

Escalation paths delay the response to incidents.

Lessons Learned (Post-incident phase).

Detection phase.

Preparation phase.

Containment phase.

Collect forensic evidence.

Disconnect the host from the network.

Update the operating system.

Run a full system backup.

Aggregates and analyzes logs for potential incidents.

Provides physical security to data centers.

Manages user authentication and access control.

Performs network hardware maintenance.

To ensure coordinated and accurate information sharing.

To delay the response process.

To create confusion among team members.

To avoid documenting the incident.

Identify and confirm the incident.

Notify law enforcement immediately.

Erase all affected data.

Ignore the activity and monitor further.

They help reconstruct attacker actions and timing.

They provide legal advice to investigators.

They automatically prevent future attacks.

They identify the physical location of all suspects.

Eradication and Recovery.

Detection and Containment.

Preparation and Identification.

Analysis and Reporting.

A psychological manipulation technique used to trick people into giving away confidential information or performing harmful actions.

A method of encrypting data to prevent unauthorized access.

A type of computer virus that spreads through email attachments.

A process of physically securing computer hardware from theft.

No. It mostly relies on human psychology rather than computer skills.

Yes. It requires advanced programming knowledge.

Yes. It involves breaking encryption algorithms.

Yes. It needs expertise in network penetration testing.

He was one of the first and most famous social engineers; served jail time for hacking and later became a cybersecurity consultant.

He was a famous mathematician known for his work in number theory.

He was a renowned physicist who contributed to quantum mechanics.

He was a celebrated artist known for his abstract paintings.

Reconnaissance contacting and manipulating the target.

Planning and execution.

Detection and prevention.

Reporting and analysis.

To gather as much information as possible (emails, names, habits, company structure) to make the attack convincing.

To immediately launch an attack without preparation.

To protect the target from social engineering attacks.

To report suspicious activities to authorities.

theHarvester

Wireshark

Metasploit

John the Ripper

Victims tend to obey authority figures quid pro quo—something for something the attacker offers help or reward in exchange for access or data.

Victims tend to ignore authority figures and act independently.

Victims always question authority and never comply with requests.

Victims are more likely to trust strangers than authority figures.

By noticing urgency, intimidation, excessive friendliness, or lack of verifiable details.

By ignoring all emails from unknown senders.

By trusting any message that uses company branding.

By sharing passwords with colleagues to confirm identity.

Security awareness training for employees across all organizational roles.

Implementing only physical security measures.

Relying solely on antivirus software.

Ignoring suspicious emails and messages.

A tool on Kali Linux that simulates and tests social engineering.

A tool for network packet analysis.

A tool for password cracking only.

A tool for wireless network scanning.

Registering similar domain names to trick users.

A method of encrypting data for security.

A technique for speeding up website loading times.

A process of creating backup copies of websites.

They show limited insider knowledge.

They indicate strong technical skills.

They prove the sender is trustworthy.

They confirm the email is genuine.

Collect sensitive information from discarded materials.

Recycle electronic waste responsibly.

Clean public spaces for community service.

Dispose of hazardous chemicals safely.

Spear Phishing.

Pharming.

Brute Force Attack.

Watering Hole Attack.

Social Engineering Toolkit (SET).

Wireshark.

Metasploit.

Nmap.

Report it to IT or security.

Reply to the email to ask for more information.

Click on any links to verify their authenticity.

Forward the email to all colleagues.

Victim Approach.

Reconnaissance.

Planning.

Escape.

Reconnaissance.

Phishing attacks.

Data encryption.

Software updates.

Intimidation.

Reciprocity.

Consensus.

Scarcity.

A psychological manipulation technique used to trick people into giving away confidential information or performing harmful actions.

A method of encrypting data to protect it from hackers.

A type of software used to detect viruses on computers.

A process of building social networks for marketing purposes.

No. It mostly relies on human psychology rather than computer skills.

Yes. It requires advanced programming knowledge.

Only if the target is a computer system.

It always involves breaking into networks.

He was one of the first and most famous social engineers; served jail time for hacking and later became a cybersecurity consultant.

He was a renowned mathematician known for his work in cryptography.

He was a famous computer hardware engineer who invented the microprocessor.

He was a leading figure in the development of the World Wide Web.

Reconnaissance and exploitation

Planning and execution

Detection and prevention

Analysis and reporting

To gather as much information as possible (emails, names, habits, company structure) to make the attack convincing.

To immediately launch an attack without preparation.

To ignore the target's background and focus on random individuals.

To report suspicious activities to law enforcement.

theHarvester

Wireshark

Metasploit

John the Ripper

Victims tend to obey authority figures quid pro quo—something for something; the attacker offers help or reward in exchange for access or data.

Victims tend to ignore authority figures and act independently.

Victims always verify the identity of authority figures before complying.

Victims are immune to manipulation by authority figures.

By noticing urgency, intimidation, excessive friendliness, or lack of verifiable details.

By ignoring all emails from unknown senders.

By trusting anyone who claims to be from IT support without verification.

By sharing passwords with colleagues to avoid delays.

Security awareness training for employees across all organizational roles.

Implementing advanced firewalls only.

Using complex passwords for all accounts.

Regularly updating software patches.

A tool on Kali Linux that simulates and tests social engineering attacks to train or assess defenses.

A tool for scanning network vulnerabilities and patching systems automatically.

A software for encrypting files and managing secure passwords.

A program for monitoring network traffic and blocking suspicious IP addresses.

Following someone into a secure area without authorization.

Leaving a secure area unattended.

Reporting suspicious activity to authorities.

Using a password to access a secure area.

Urgent requests for sensitive information.

Routine company updates.

General greetings from colleagues.

Scheduled maintenance notifications.

They show limited insider knowledge.

They indicate strong technical skills.

They confirm the sender's identity.

They prove the email is genuine.

They expose personal details useful for pretexting.

They offer advanced encryption for attackers.

They prevent attackers from accessing any information.

They automatically block all suspicious activities.

Intimidation.

Reciprocity.

Authority.

Consensus.

Regular security awareness training.

Installing more printers.

Using outdated software.

Ignoring suspicious emails.

Hurry tactic.

Delay tactic.

Confusion tactic.

Distraction tactic.