Minimal Detection Techniques

EF.

The two activities that have a minimal chance of detection during reconnaissance are A) Open-source research and D) Port knocking.

Open-source research involves gathering information that is publicly available on the internet. This can include websites, social media, and other online resources. Since this information is publicly available, it is difficult to detect that someone is conducting research on it. However, it is important to note that the information gathered through open-source research may not be entirely accurate or up-to-date.

Port knocking is a technique used to open a network port on a firewall by first connecting to a sequence of other ports in a specific order. By using this method, the attacker can avoid detection by not appearing as a direct connection attempt to the targeted port. It is a stealthy method and can be performed without raising any alarms. However, it requires some knowledge of the network and firewall configuration.

On the other hand, activities such as ping sweeps, traffic sniffing, vulnerability scans, and Nmap scans are likely to be detected during reconnaissance. A ping sweep is a technique that involves sending ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) packets to a range of IP addresses to determine which hosts are active. This can be easily detected by intrusion detection systems. Traffic sniffing involves intercepting and analyzing network traffic, which can be detected by network security tools. Vulnerability scans and Nmap scans involve actively probing the network for vulnerabilities and services, which can trigger alerts in security systems.

Therefore, to minimize the chances of being detected during reconnaissance, a penetration tester should rely on open-source research and port knocking techniques while avoiding more active and detectable techniques.