Nmap Scanning Techniques in Ethical Hacking: Unit 1 Assignment

1 Unit 1 Assignment IT395 Certified Ethical Hacking II Eric Clarkson Purdue Global University Professor Donald McCracken August 29, 2023

2 Nmap is a must-have tool for ethical hackers looking to perform extensive network and system scans. It provides significant insight into potentially exploitable vulnerabilities, allowing ethical hackers to detect open ports, available services, and other critical information that can aid in their attempts to breach a system. The ability to identify potential attack vectors is critical to their work, and Nmap provides a quick and effective method for doing so. Nmap's covert nature enables practically unnoticed searches, which is one of its major advantages. This capability is especially useful since it allows ethical hackers to collect information about a target without alerting system administrators or other security people. This is particularly beneficial when doing reconnaissance on a target before mounting a more aggressive attack. The required screenshots of the steps taken throughout the assignment are provided below. This assignment's virtual machine of choice was VirtualBox. Virtual Box is an excellent application for creating and maintaining virtual computers. It has an easy-to-use interface and enables simple modification of settings such as CPU and RAM allocation. Furthermore, VirtualBox supports a wide range of operating systems, making it a viable alternative for virtualization requirements. Overall, VirtualBox proved to be a dependable and effective virtual machine solution.

3 Step 1: On your computer, check your operating system and amount of RAM. A screenshot of this information can be viewed below.

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4 Step 2 : Successful Installation of Virtual Box and the launch screen. Step 3: Download Kali Linux and take a screenshot of the desktop.

5 Step 3 (2): At the prompt type in: “ifconfig”. This will display your configuration window and IP address.

6 Step 3 (3): Setting up BRIDGED NETWORKING in Virtual Box. Screenshot of the command line as described above with “ifconfig” entered.

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7 Step 3 (4): Take a screenshot and place it and type in your host IP address in the assignment document. (192.168.12.179)

8 Step 4: Screenshot of “Ping” scan results. Answer the question: What Nmap switches were used for the ping scan and what do they do? The following switches can be used to run a ping scan with Nmap: -sP or -sn: This switch instructs Nmap to execute a ping scan solely, rather than a port scan. It transmits an ICMP echo request to the target host and awaits a response. If a response is returned, the host is regarded to be operational. This option instructs Nmap not to resolve hostnames to IP addresses. This can expedite scanning, especially if DNS resolution is sluggish or unavailable. Other switches, such

9 as -PS (TCP SYN ping) and -PE (ICMP echo ping), can be used to modify the ping scan, but -sP or -sn are the most typically used. What does the “Nmap Output” show? Quick Scan Plus's "Nmap Output" gives a summary of the scanned hosts, open ports, and services executing on those ports. It also offers information on the scan's time and duration, as well as any faults or warnings that may have occurred during the procedure. This report is important for swiftly discovering potential security flaws and assessing a network's overall health. What Nmap switches were used for the “Quick scan plus” and what do they do? The -sV and -T4 options are required to run a "Quick scan plus" with Nmap. The -sV flag enables version detection, allowing Nmap to ascertain the software versions installed on the target. The -T4 switch changes the timing template to "aggressive," which accelerates the scanning process while avoiding network congestion. The combination of these two switches makes the "Quick Scan Plus" a faster and more efficient technique for gathering information about a target's network. Step 4 (2): Take a screenshot of the “Topology” tab once you get it to display in a readable manner. While I was unable to record a screen capture of the Topology tab due to

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10 Virtual Box's use of Nmap, I can answer the question What do the colors and square yellow and black icons indicate based on my prior use of Zenmap? The colors and square yellow and black icons on the Nmap Topology tab reflect the status of each device or host that was scanned. The presence of a yellow icon with a black square indicates that the host is online, whereas the absence of the icon indicates that the host is offline. The hue of the icon shows Nmap's level of confidence in recognizing the host's operating system. A green icon indicates that Nmap is confident in its identification of the OS, whereas a blue icon indicates that Nmap is less certain in its identification. The gray icon indicates that Nmap was unable to determine the operating system. You can rapidly determine the status of any device and its OS identification confidence level by evaluating the colors and icons.

11 Step 5: Screenshot of the Intense scan scanme.nmap.org. Answer the questions: What operating system is in use at scanme.nmap.org? What are the switches used in the intensive scan and what do they do? The operating system of scanme.nmap.org is Linux, which is a popular server operating system due to its reliability and security features. In addition, the website is hosted by an Apache server, which is another popular server software. Overall, these selections imply that the website is hosted on a dependable and secure platform. A comprehensive Nmap scan can make use of a number of switches. The most frequent ones are the -sS switch, which does a TCP SYN scan, the -sU switch, which performs a UDP scan, and the -O switch, which attempts to determine the

12 target's OS system. Other alternatives include -p, which defines the ports to be scanned, and -T, which specifies the timing template used by Nmap. (1): How would you check to see if the devices you scanned with Nmap are vulnerable? Did you find any vulnerable hosts in your scans? If so, what is the offending software? 300 words minimum. When it comes to protecting the security of devices scanned with Nmap, it is crucial to have a thorough understanding of the unique vulnerabilities that may exist on the devices and network being investigated. To identify any potential vulnerabilities, a comprehensive evaluation of the Nmap scan results, including open ports, services, and operating systems, is necessary. Vulnerability scanners like Nessus or OpenVAS can be used to uncover known flaws in the devices and services detected by the Nmap scan. However, a manual examination of individual services and operating systems is also required, which may involve reviewing databases such as CVE. It is important to note that discovering open ports or services does not necessarily indicate a vulnerability, as many of these are necessary for network operation and pose no risks. Therefore, discovering vulnerabilities after a Nmap scan requires a thorough approach and attention to detail.

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13 By using these methods, you can ensure the security and protection of your network equipment. It is crucial to take appropriate precautions to prevent potential security breaches, as they can have serious impacts that can negatively affect the smooth operation of your network and business activities. Remaining vigilant in the face of ever-evolving threats to network security is imperative. It is essential to stay up-to-date on the latest security protocols and best practices, as well as regularly monitor and evaluate your network's performance. This is the key to keeping your network secure and safeguarding your business from potential harm. Therefore, having a comprehensive understanding of the unique vulnerabilities that may exist on your devices and network and taking all necessary steps to prevent potential security breaches is essential. With these methods, you can ensure the security and protection of your network equipment and safeguard your business from potential harm.

14 (2) List the 5 to 10 steps necessary to use a tool like John the Ripper® to crack passwords in narrative scenario format. 300 words minimum. If you want to crack passwords with a program like John the Ripper®, you must follow a set of steps to ensure success. In further detail, below are the six fundamental steps to cracking passwords with John the Ripper®: 1. Install John the Ripper®: The first step in using John the Ripper® to crack passwords is to install the software on your computer. You can obtain the software from the official website and carefully follow the installation instructions. It is critical to ensure that you have the correct software version for your operating system. 2. Gather password files: After installing John the Ripper®, you must collect password files to crack. These password files can be obtained from a variety of sources, including a compromised database or a captured system picture. Before proceeding, make sure you have the required rights to access these files. 3. Select a cracking mode: John the Ripper® has numerous cracking modes, including brute force, dictionary, and hybrid. It is critical to select the appropriate cracking mode based on the password file you are attempting to crack. For example, if the password is simple, a

15 dictionary attack may be sufficient, whereas a more difficult password may necessitate a brute- force approach. 4. Configure John the Ripper®: After choosing a cracking mode, you must configure John the Ripper® to use the appropriate settings and parameters. Setting the character set, the minimum and maximum password lengths, and the amount of CPU cores to employ are all part of this. It is critical to consider the system resources available to you as well as the time it may take to complete the cracking process. 5. Begin the cracking process: Once John the Ripper® has been configured, you can begin the cracking process. The software will crack the password file using the provided settings and parameters. Be patient during this procedure, as it may take some time depending on the intricacy of the password. 6. Analyze the findings: Once the cracking procedure is finished, you must examine the results to determine the cracked passwords. You can examine the broken passwords and find any patterns or trends using the output file provided by John the Ripper®. It is critical to remember that any passwords discovered should not be utilized to gain illegal access to systems or data.

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16 Passwords can be successfully cracked with John the Ripper® if you properly follow these six procedures. As a responsible user, you must use this tool ethically and responsibly, and you must never use it to gain unauthorized access to systems or data.

17 References Ashtari, H. (2022, August 12). VirtualBox meaning, working, installation, uses . Spiceworks. https://www.spiceworks.com/tech/cloud/articles/what-is-virtualbox Gangwar, M. (2022, August 3). Nmap - Switches and scan types in Nmap . DigitalOcean – The developer cloud. https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/nmap-switches- scan-types II, J. B. (2022, May 19). What is Nmap and why do you need it on your network? Network World. https://www.networkworld.com/article/3296740/what-is-nmap-why-you-need- this-network-mapper.html Kanav. (2023, January 29). How to use John the Ripper | John the Ripper password cracker . Techofide | Learn At Ease. https://techofide.com/blogs/how-to-use-john-the-ripper-john- the-ripper-password-cracker-techofide/ Lee, C. (2023, April 14). How to use John the Ripper: A quick and easy guide . StationX. https://www.stationx.net/how-to-use-john-the-ripper/ SecuringNinja. (2022, June 30). How to use John the Ripper . Securing Ninja. https://securingninja.com/how-to-use-john-the-ripper/ Surfing the network topology | Nmap network scanning . (n.d.). Nmap: the Network Mapper - Free Security Scanner. https://nmap.org/book/zenmap-topology.html Vyas, K. (2023, March 22). OpenVAS vs Nessus vulnerability scanners: Comparison guide . Enterprise Storage Forum. https://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/security/openvas-vs- nessus

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IT395_ERIC_CLARKSON_UNIT_1_ASSIGNMENT

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