Lab Summary: Perform Network Footprinting

Lab Objective:

To extract network-level information about a target domain (e.g., www.certifiedhacker.com) by performing traceroute operations on both Windows and Linux machines. This helps map the path packets take across the Internet and reveals network infrastructure like routers, firewalls, and intermediaries.

Overview:

Network footprinting is the practice of collecting data about a target's network architecture, including routers, hops, and packet flow paths. Traceroute tools are used to map how packets travel from source to destination. This information allows ethical hackers or penetration testers to:

• Understand network topology
• Identify trusted routers and firewalls
• Estimate physical/geographical distances
• Plan man-in-the-middle or DoS attacks (for red teaming or security assessment)

Task 1: Perform Network Tracerouting in Windows and Linux Machines

Step 1: Traceroute on Windows

• Launched Command Prompt on Windows 11 machine.

• Executed:

  tracert www.certifiedhacker.com
  
  

  • This displayed the sequence of hops (IP addresses or hostnames) through which packets traveled to reach the target.
  • Helped visualize the routing path, indicating possible gateways and firewall boundaries.

• To view all options of the command:

  tracert /?
  
  

  • Displays help, flags, and switches for customized usage.

• To limit the trace to 5 hops:

  tracert -h 5 www.certifiedhacker.com
  
  

  • h sets the maximum number of hops.
  • Helps control verbosity and restrict output to nearby nodes.