After footprinting and reconnaissance, scanning is the second phase of information gathering that hackers use to size up a network. Scanning is where they dive deeper into the system to look for valuable data and services in a specific IP address range. Network scans are also a key tool in the arsenal of ethical hackers, who work to prevent attacks on an organization's infrastructure and data.

This course investigates the scanning tools and techniques used to obtain information from a target system, including specially crafted packets, TCP flags, UDP scans, and ping sweeps. Lisa Bock discusses how hackers can identify live systems via protocols, blueprint a network, and perform a vulnerability scan to find weaknesses. She also introduces some of the tools and techniques that hackers use to counter detection via evasion, concealment, and spoofing. In addition, learn how to reduce the threat of tunneling, a method hackers use to circumvent network security.