Beyonddennis

Recon-ng

Recon-ng: A Deep Dive into the Open-Source Intelligence Powerhouse

By Beyonddennis

Welcome, fellow explorers of the digital frontier! In the world of cybersecurity, knowledge is not just power; it is the very foundation upon which all successful operations are built. Whether you're a penetration tester, a bug bounty hunter, or a security researcher, the ability to gather comprehensive information about your target is paramount. This is where a formidable tool like Recon-ng comes into play. Authored by Tim Tomes (LaNMaSteR53), Recon-ng is a full-featured reconnaissance framework designed to provide a powerful environment for conducting open-source web-based reconnaissance quickly and thoroughly. Its interface, strikingly similar to the Metasploit Framework, significantly reduces the learning curve for those already familiar with offensive security tools.

Unlike exploitation frameworks, Recon-ng focuses exclusively on the critical phase of reconnaissance, making it an indispensable asset in your arsenal. It streamlines the tedious process of manually searching through countless data sets by automating data searches, saving you immense time and energy.

What is Recon-ng?

At its core, Recon-ng is an open-source intelligence (OSINT) framework written in Python. It acts as a complete package of information-gathering modules, enabling cybersecurity professionals, ethical hackers, and intelligence analysts to collect various details about a target from publicly available sources. This powerful tool helps in discovering a target site's subdomains, IP addresses, and even potential vulnerabilities. It's an essential tool for automating OSINT collection, providing a centralized platform for various reconnaissance tasks.

Key Features and Modules

Recon-ng boasts a rich set of features that make it a standout tool for information gathering:

• Modular Structure: One of Recon-ng's most prominent features is its modularity. It is a completely modular framework, allowing users to install and activate specific modules based on their needs. This design allows modules to be updated independently from the core framework, providing flexibility and ensuring the tool remains current.

• Extensive Module Library: Recon-ng contains a vast library of modules, which, while not pre-installed, can be easily installed from the marketplace. These modules cover a wide array of reconnaissance tasks, including:

  • Domain Profiling: Retrieving information related to the target's domain, such as subdomains, DNS records, and WHOIS data.

  • Network Profiling: Gathering information about the target's IP addresses, open ports, and network structures.

  • People Profiling: Collecting social media profiles and personal information associated with individuals linked to the target.

  • Vulnerability Scanning: Identifying potential loopholes in web applications, sensitive files like robots.txt, or even error-based SQL injections.

  • Content Management System (CMS) Detection: Identifying the CMS in use by a target web application.

  • IoT Device Scanning: Utilizing search engines like Shodan to scan Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

• Database Interaction and Workspaces: Recon-ng organizes collected data through 'workspaces'. Each workspace acts as a dedicated environment for a specific target, saving all collected information within its database. This feature is crucial for maintaining organized information and notes during an OSINT investigation. The 'db' command allows direct interaction with this built-in database for adding, modifying, and deleting records.

• API Integration: Many modules in Recon-ng integrate with third-party APIs from various online services (e.g., Shodan, Google, Bing, Twitter). This significantly enhances its data-gathering capabilities, requiring users to obtain and add API keys for optimal functionality.

• Automation and Scripting: Recon-ng is designed to automate tasks, streamlining data collection and analysis. It supports scripting of sessions, either within the framework or via an external command-line interface, allowing for virtual hands-off information gathering. Resource files can be used to run a sequence of commands automatically.

• Reporting: The tool includes features to present collected information in organized and understandable reports, often in HTML or CSV formats. These reports highlight critical information, aiding in the assessment of security risks.

• Command-Line Interface: Recon-ng features a streamlined command-line interface, providing efficient interaction with its functionalities. The interactive console offers helpful features such as command completion and contextual help, making it easier to use.

Installation Guide

Recon-ng is readily available on popular security distributions like Kali Linux, often pre-installed. However, for those who need to install it or prefer to install from source, here are the steps:

Installation on Kali Linux (Recommended):

  sudo apt update  sudo apt install recon-ng -y  

Manual Installation (from source):

  git clone https://github.com/lanmaster53/recon-ng.git  cd recon-ng  pip install -r REQUIREMENTS  ./recon-ng  

After installation, you can launch Recon-ng by simply typing:

  recon-ng  

On some systems, especially newer Kali versions, you might need to use sudo recon-ng to ensure all commands function correctly.

Basic Usage and Workflow

Once Recon-ng starts, you will be greeted by a command-line interface similar to Metasploit. It begins with an empty framework; no modules are enabled or installed by default.

1. Creating a Workspace:

It is considered a best practice to create a dedicated workspace for each reconnaissance project to keep your data organized.

  workspaces create <workspace_name>  

For example:

  workspaces create my_target_recon  

To switch to an existing workspace or list them:

  workspaces select <workspace_name>  workspaces list  

2. Adding Targets:

You need to seed the database with initial information about your target. This can include domains, companies, or contacts.

  db insert domains example.com  db insert companies "Example Corp"  

You can view the added data using:

  show domains  show companies  

3. Exploring and Installing Modules:

Modules are the workhorses of Recon-ng. To see all available modules in the marketplace:

  marketplace search  

This command displays a list of modules, often with symbols indicating if they require additional Python libraries ('D') or API keys ('K').

To install a specific module:

  marketplace install <module_name>  

To install all available modules:

  marketplace install all  

Note: Some modules might require separate installation if they don't get installed with the 'install all' command.

4. Loading and Configuring Modules:

Once installed, you can load a module using the modules load command:

  modules load <module_path>  

For example, to load a subdomain enumeration module:

  modules load recon/domains-hosts/google_site_web  

After loading a module, use info to get detailed information about it, including its description, author, and required options.

  info  

To view and set module options:

  options list  set <option_name> <value>  

For example, to set the source for a domain-gathering module:

  options set SOURCE example.com  

5. Running Modules:

After configuring, execute the module:

  run  

The results will be stored in your current workspace's database.

6. Managing API Keys:

Many powerful modules rely on external services that require API keys. You can add and manage these keys within Recon-ng:

  keys add <service_name> <your_api_key>  keys list  

For example, adding a Shodan API key:

  keys add shodan_api YOUR_SHODAN_API_KEY  

7. Viewing and Exporting Data:

You can query the database to view the collected information:

  show hosts  show contacts  show vulnerabilities  

To export data, you can use reporting modules. For instance, to generate an HTML report:

  modules load reporting/html  options set CREATOR Beyonddennis  options set CUSTOMER <Target_Name>  options set FILENAME /path/to/save/report.html  run  

Advanced Usage and Customization

Recon-ng's flexibility extends beyond its core functionalities:

• Custom Module Development: For Python developers, Recon-ng makes it easy to contribute by creating custom modules, allowing for highly tailored reconnaissance.

• Resource Files: Automate your workflow by creating resource files (.rc files) containing sequences of Recon-ng commands. These can be executed upon startup or at any time.

• Recon-web Interface: Recon-ng includes a web interface (recon-web) that allows you to easily view database data and export it, accessible typically via http://localhost:5000 after launching the recon-web command.

• Snapshots: You can manage workspace snapshots to save the state of your reconnaissance at different intervals.

Why Recon-ng? (Benefits)

Recon-ng is an invaluable tool for several reasons:

• Efficiency and Automation: It drastically reduces the time spent on manual information gathering, automating the collection of OSINT from multiple sources.

• Comprehensive Data Collection: It collects a wide range of information, including subdomains, IP addresses, email addresses, social media profiles, and potential vulnerabilities.

• Structured Data Organization: Workspaces and the internal database ensure that all collected data is organized, making analysis and reporting much more manageable.

• Extensibility: Its modular design and support for API integrations mean it can be adapted to almost any reconnaissance need and integrated with other cybersecurity tools.

• Learning Curve: The Metasploit-like interface makes it intuitive for those already in the cybersecurity domain.

Ethical Considerations

As with any powerful tool, it is crucial to use Recon-ng responsibly and ethically. Reconnaissance activities, especially those involving automated data collection from public sources, should always adhere to legal guidelines. Ethical hackers and security professionals must ensure they have proper authorization or explicit permission before conducting any reconnaissance activities on a target. Unauthorized scanning and information gathering can lead to severe legal consequences and damage your professional reputation. Always prioritize integrity and operate within the bounds of the law. The content provided in this article is strictly for educational purposes, empowering you with knowledge for ethical and legal security endeavors.

By Beyonddennis