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You are going to perform a penetration test on a company LAN. As part of your preparation, you access the company's websites, view webpage source code, and run internet searches to uncover domain information. You also use social media to gather details about the company and its employees.
Which type of reconnaissance activities are you performing?
The CCST Cybersecurity Study Guide explains that reconnaissance is the process of collecting information about a target before attempting exploitation.
'Passive reconnaissance is conducted without directly engaging with the target systems. Examples include reviewing public websites, examining HTML source code, querying public DNS records, and using social media to gather information. Since no packets are sent directly to the target system, it reduces the risk of detection.'
(CCST Cybersecurity, Vulnerability Assessment and Risk Management, Reconnaissance Techniques section, Cisco Networking Academy)
Passive (A) is correct because all actions described --- viewing public pages, searching online, and checking social media --- involve no direct interaction that could alert the target.
Active (B) would involve direct probing, like port scans or vulnerability scans.
Offline (C) is not an official reconnaissance classification in this context.
Invasive (D) is a general term and not used as a standard reconnaissance category in CCST material.