A penetration tester was hired to perform a penetration test for a bank. The tester began searching for IP ranges owned by the bank, performing lookups on the bank's DNS servers, reading news articles online about the bank, watching what times the bank employees come into work and leave from work, searching the bank's job postings (paying special attention to IT related jobs), and visiting the local dumpster for the bank's corporate office. What phase of the penetration test is the tester currently in?

Question

A penetration tester was hired to perform a penetration test for a bank.  The tester began searching for IP ranges owned by the bank, performing lookups on the bank's DNS servers, reading news articles online about the bank, watching what times the bank employees come into work and leave from work, searching the bank's job postings (paying special attention to IT related jobs), and visiting the local dumpster for the bank's corporate office. What phase of the penetration test is the tester currently in?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The tester is in the passive information gathering phase, as they are collecting information without directly interacting with the bank's systems.

A Penetration Tester Was Hired to Perform a Penetration Test