Chapter 10 — HackRecon
Based on: SIH1684 — Agentless Vulnerability Assessment (NTRO)
Skills Required: Ethical hacking, network & web reconnaissance, scripting, penetration testing tools, Kali Linux
Project Description
HackRecon is an advanced reconnaissance toolkit tailored for ethical hackers and penetration testers. Emphasizing agentless operation, HackRecon automates network footprinting, service enumeration, and web technology discovery. Its modular design supports passive and active scanning, OSINT integration, and automatic report generation, accelerating the information gathering phase of pentests.
Tech Stack
- Python (automation scripts and core engine)
- Nmap and masscan for network scanning
- WhatWeb, Wappalyzer for web tech fingerprinting
- OSINT APIs (e.g. Shodan, Censys)
- Modules for DNS enumeration, subdomain discovery
- Flask or FastAPI for API backend
- React or Vue.js dashboard
- Kali Linux for integration and testing
Week-wise Plan
Week 1: Setup and Basic Network Scanning
- Configure dev environment (Kali installer, Python libs)
- Implement network scanning module using Nmap & masscan
- Build inventory DB and host discovery UI
- Deliverable: Basic network map and host list generator
Week 2: Service & OS Fingerprinting
- Add scripts for service enumeration and OS detection
- Integrate port-to-service mapping and version detection
- Validate known host fingerprints
- Deliverable: Detailed host/service/OS profile reports
Week 3: Web Technology Discovery
- Integrate WhatWeb, Wappalyzer for web technology identification
- Automate URL extraction and analytics
- Build dashboard widgets to visualize tech stack distribution
- Deliverable: Web tech fingerprinting dashboard
Week 4: DNS & Subdomain Enumeration
- Develop modules for DNS enumeration and zone transfer checking
- Implement subdomain brute-forcing and permutation injection
- Integrate with public APIs for OSINT-based discovery
- Deliverable: Comprehensive domain and subdomain list with metadata
Week 5: OSINT Integration & Data Correlation
- Connect with external OSINT platforms (Shodan, Censys)
- Correlate discovered IPs & domains for risk scoring
- Implement anomaly & threat reports based on OSINT insights
- Deliverable: Enriched asset inventory and risk dashboard
Week 6: Automation & Scheduling
- Enable scheduled scans and data refresh
- Build notification system for new asset detection
- Setup API endpoints for triggering reconnaissance runs
- Deliverable: Automated, scheduled reconnaissance pipeline
Week 7: Security & User Management
- Implement user authentication & role-based access control
- Secure APIs and frontend routes
- Enable audit logging and change tracking
- Deliverable: Secure multi-user management system
Week 8: Comprehensive Testing & Documentation
- Conduct functional, performance, and security testing
- Document setup, usage, developer guidelines
- Create demo videos and user manuals
- Deliverable: Tested, documented, production-ready HackRecon toolkit
Testing & Deliverables
- Run reconnaissance on test networks; validate discovery accuracy
- Deliver codebase, test scripts, documentation, demo presentations
- Prepare case studies simulating pentest engagements