Recon Arsenal

Recon / enumeration arsenal

Tool selection for port/host/service discovery on authorized lab targets only (in-scope hosts recorded in scope.txt). Pick the tool, run the exact command, log the reasoning in notes.md.

1. Port / service scanning

nmap — the workhorse; scriptable, accurate service/version detection, keeps you honest.

• nmap -sC -sV -oA recon/nmap-tcp $TARGET — -sC default NSE scripts, -sV version detection, -oA writes .nmap/.gnmap/.xml (feed later tools).
• nmap -p- --min-rate 5000 -oA recon/nmap-allports $TARGET — -p- all 65535 ports, --min-rate forces pace so it finishes.
• nmap -sC -sV -p 22,80,445 -oA recon/nmap-targeted $TARGET — re-scan only the ports -p- found, deeply.
• nmap -sU --top-ports 100 -oA recon/nmap-udp $TARGET — -sU UDP; slow, so cap to top ports.
• nmap -sV --version-intensity 9 -p 4444 $TARGET — max probe effort on a stubborn/unknown service port.
• nmap -Pn -sC -sV $TARGET — -Pn skip host-discovery ping (hardened hosts often drop ICMP → "host down").
• nmap --script "smb-enum-shares,smb-os-discovery" -p445 $TARGET — targeted NSE; --script vuln for a vuln sweep.
• Gotcha: run the fast -p- sweep FIRST, then -sC -sV only the open ports — scripts on all 65535 ports wastes minutes.

rustscan — sweeps all ports in seconds, then hands off to nmap; use it to find the open set fast.

• rustscan -a $TARGET --range 1-65535 -- -sC -sV — everything after -- is passed straight to nmap.
• Gotcha: on flaky VPN, add --ulimit 5000 and lower -b (batch) or it drops ports.

masscan — asynchronous, fastest for wide ranges; prefer it over rustscan/nmap for whole /24 subnet sweeps.

• masscan -p1-65535 10.129.0.0/24 --rate 1000 -oL recon/masscan.txt — --rate packets/sec (keep modest on VPN).
• Gotcha: no version detection — always re-scan the hits with nmap -sV.

2. Host discovery / ping sweep

nmap -sn — quick liveness map of a subnet without port-scanning.

• nmap -sn 10.129.0.0/24 -oA recon/hosts — -sn ping-only, no ports.

fping — faster mass-ping alternative; good in a script loop.

• fping -a -g 10.129.0.0/24 2>/dev/null — -a show alive only, -g generate range.

3. DNS & vhost discovery

dig — first check for a zone transfer, the easy win.

• dig axfr @$TARGET domain.local — AXFR full zone dump if the DNS server allows it.
• dig any domain.local @$TARGET — pull all records.

dnsenum — automated brute + AXFR + record enum in one shot.

• dnsenum --dnsserver $TARGET domain.local

gobuster dns — subdomain brute-force against a DNS server.

• gobuster dns -d domain.local -r $TARGET -w /usr/share/seclists/Discovery/DNS/subdomains-top1million-5000.txt

ffuf (vhost fuzzing) — find name-based virtual hosts behind one IP via the Host: header.

• ffuf -w /usr/share/seclists/Discovery/DNS/subdomains-top1million-5000.txt -u http://$TARGET -H "Host: FUZZ.domain.local" -fs 0 — -fs filter by size; set it to the wildcard/default page size to hide noise.

gobuster vhost — same idea, gobuster syntax.

• gobuster vhost -u http://domain.local --append-domain -w <wordlist>

wfuzz — flexible fallback when you need custom filtering.

• wfuzz -c -w <wordlist> -H "Host: FUZZ.domain.local" -u http://$TARGET --hh <hide-chars>
• Gotcha: any hostname you discover must go in /etc/hosts ($TARGET domain.local sub.domain.local) — *.local names don't resolve otherwise, and vhost routing needs the Host header to match.

4. SMB / RPC / NetBIOS

enum4linux-ng — modern rewrite; one command dumps shares, users, groups, OS, null sessions.

• enum4linux-ng -A $TARGET — -A all enumeration.

smbclient — list and browse shares directly.

• smbclient -N -L //$TARGET — -N no password (null session), -L list shares.
• smbclient -N //$TARGET/share — connect to one share.

rpcclient — null-session RPC; enumerate users/SIDs when SMB shares are locked down.

• rpcclient -U "" -N $TARGET — then enumdomusers, queryuser 0x<rid>.

nmblookup — NetBIOS name/workgroup resolution.

• nmblookup -A $TARGET — -A query by IP.

netexec (nxc / crackmapexec) — fast auth + share sweep, great for spraying/null checks.

• nxc smb $TARGET -u '' -p '' --shares — null-session share listing.
• nxc smb $TARGET -u user -p pass --shares — authenticated view once you have creds.
• Gotcha: crackmapexec is deprecated → use nxc (netexec); same flags.

5. SNMP

snmpwalk — dump the MIB when SNMP (UDP 161) is open; often leaks users, processes, routes.

• snmpwalk -c public -v2c $TARGET — -c public default community string, -v2c version.

onesixtyone — brute the community string first if public fails.

• onesixtyone -c /usr/share/seclists/Discovery/SNMP/common-snmp-community-strings.txt $TARGET

6. NFS

showmount — list exported shares before mounting.

• showmount -e $TARGET — -e show exports; then mount -t nfs $TARGET:/export /mnt/nfs.

7. Quick service probes

nc — grab a raw banner on any TCP port.

• nc -nv $TARGET 21 — -n no DNS, -v verbose.

curl — inspect HTTP headers/redirects without a browser.

• curl -sI http://$TARGET — -s silent, -I headers only (Server, redirects, cookies).

ldapsearch — anonymous bind against LDAP (389) leaks the naming context / users.

• ldapsearch -x -H ldap://$TARGET -b "dc=corp,dc=local" — -x simple auth, -b search base.
• ldapsearch -x -H ldap://$TARGET -s base namingcontexts — find the base DN first.

ftp — anonymous login check on 21.

• ftp $TARGET → login anonymous / any password; ls -la for readable/writable dirs.

8. All-in-one

autorecon — fires the whole suite (nmap + per-service enum) and files the output; use as a background first pass while you work leads manually.

• autorecon $TARGET — writes structured results/ per host.
• Gotcha: on real engagements, manual > automated — autorecon is a starting map, not a substitute for reading each service yourself.

Gotchas / discipline

• Hardened hosts frequently show ports filtered and drop ICMP → always add -Pn, and --min-rate 5000 so scans don't stall.
• Always run a full -p- scan AFTER the top-1000 — the interesting service (WinRM 5985, a dev port, a hidden vhost) is often up in the high ports.
• UDP is slow and unreliable — scan --top-ports 100 only, don't wait on a full -sU -p-.
• Re-scan discovered ports with -sC -sV; a fast sweep tells you what's open, not what it is.
• Golden rule: when stuck, enumerate more — a missed service, subdomain, or share is far more likely than a missing exploit.