Network enumeration is a computing activity in which
username
A user is a person who utilizes a computer or Computer network, network Service (systems architecture), service.
A user often has a user account and is identified to the system by a username (or user name). Other terms for username includ ...
s and info on groups, shares, and services of
networked computers are retrieved. It should not be confused with
network mapping
Network mapping is the study of the physical connectivity of networks e.g. the Internet. Network mapping discovers the devices on the network and their connectivity. It is not to be confused with network discovery or Network enumeration, network ...
, which only retrieves information about which
servers are connected to a specific network and what
operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also in ...
runs on them.
Network enumeration is the discovery of
hosts
A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it.
Host may also refer to:
Places
*Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County
People
*Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman
*Michel Host ( ...
or devices on a
network
Network, networking and networked may refer to:
Science and technology
* Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects
* Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks
Mathematics
...
. Network enumeration tends to use overt discovery protocols such as
ICMP and
SNMP
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is an Internet Standard protocol for collecting and organizing information about managed devices on IP networks and for modifying that information to change device behaviour. Devices that typically ...
to gather information. It may also scan various ports on remote hosts for looking for well known services in an attempt to further identify the function of a remote host. The next stage of enumeration is to
fingerprint
A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfac ...
the
operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also in ...
of the remote host.
Software
A network enumerator or network scanner is a
computer program
A computer program is a sequence or set of instructions in a programming language for a computer to execute. Computer programs are one component of software, which also includes documentation and other intangible components.
A computer program ...
used to retrieve usernames and info on groups, shares, and services of networked computers. This type of program scans networks for vulnerabilities in the security of that network. If there is a vulnerability with the security of the network, it will send a report back to a
hacker
A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who uses their technical knowledge to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, within a computerized system by non-standard means. Though the term ''hacker'' has become associated in popu ...
who may use this info to exploit that network glitch to gain entry to the network or for other malicious activities. Ethical hackers often also use the information to remove the glitches and strengthen their network.
Malicious (or "
black-hat
A Black Hat (Black Hat Hacker or Blackhat) is a computer hacker who usually violates laws or typical ethical standards. The term originates from the 1950s westerns, when bad guys typically wore black hats and good guys white hats. Black hat hacker ...
") hackers can, on entry of the network, get to security-sensitive information or corrupt the network making it useless. If this network belonged to a company which used this network on a regular basis, the company would lose the function to send information internally to other departments.
Network enumerators are often used by
script kiddies
A script kiddie, skiddie, kiddie, or skid is an unskilled individual who uses scripts or programs developed by others, primarily for malicious purposes.
Characteristics
In a Carnegie Mellon report prepared for the U.K. Department of Defense in 2 ...
for ease of use, as well as by more experienced hackers in cooperation with other programs/manual lookups. Also,
whois
WHOIS (pronounced as the phrase "who is") is a query and response protocol that is widely used for querying databases that store the registered users or assignees of an Internet resource, such as a domain name, an IP address block or an autonomou ...
queries,
zone transfer
DNS zone transfer, also sometimes known by the inducing DNS query type AXFR, is a type of Domain Name System, DNS Database transaction, transaction. It is one of the many mechanisms available for administrators to distributed database, replicate DN ...
s,
ping sweep In computing, a ping sweep is a method that can establish a range of IP addresses which map to live hosts.
The classic tool used for ping sweeps is ,Stuart McClure, Joel Scambray, George Kurtz, ''Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets & Solutio ...
s, and
traceroute
In computing, traceroute and tracert are computer network diagnostic commands for displaying possible routes (paths) and measuring transit delays of packets across an Internet Protocol (IP) network. The history of the route is recorded as th ...
can be performed.
List of network enumerators
*
Metasploit Project
The Metasploit Project is a computer security project that provides information about security vulnerabilities and aids in penetration testing and IDS signature development. It is owned by Boston, Massachusetts-based security company Rapid7.
It ...
*
Nmap
Nmap (Network Mapper) is a network scanner created by Gordon Lyon (also known by his pseudonym ''Fyodor Vaskovich''). Nmap is used to discover hosts and services on a computer network by sending packets and analyzing the responses.
Nmap provides ...
*
Nessus
*
OpenVAS
OpenVAS (''Open Vulnerability Assessment System'', originally known as ''GNessUs'') is the scanner component of Greenbone Vulnerability Manager (GVM), a software framework of several services and tools offering vulnerability scanning and vulnerabi ...
*
SAINT (software)
SAINT (Security Administrator’s Integrated Network Tool) is computer software used for scanning computer networks for security vulnerabilities, and exploiting found vulnerabilities.
SAINT Network Vulnerability Scanner
The SAINT scanner screens e ...
*
Security Administrator Tool for Analyzing Networks
Security Administrator Tool for Analyzing Networks (SATAN) was a free software vulnerability scanner for analyzing networked computers. SATAN captured the attention of a broad technical audience, appearing in ''PC Magazine'' and drawing threats ...
*
ZMap (software)
ZMap is a free and open-source security scanner that was developed as a faster alternative to Nmap. ZMap was designed for information security research and can be used for both white hat and black hat purposes. The tool is able to discover vulne ...
See also
*
Service scan On computer networks, a service scan identifies the available network services by attempting to initiate many sessions to different applications with each device in a target group of devices. This is done by sending session initiation packets for ...
References
{{reflist
Identifying Web Applicationsby Fabian Mihailowitsch
Hacking (computer security)
Wireless networking