Dictionary · Ethical Hacking Tools
WhatWeb
Reconnaissance · Beginner
A reconnaissance tool that identifies technologies a website appears to use, such as the server, framework, or content system, from responses you are allowed to request.
It reads ordinary web responses and guesses the software behind them. Defenders use the same idea to find forgotten sites and old versions before someone else does.
Example: A result says a marketing site still announces an old content-management system. The site is added to the patch list.
Git in the Zone explains security tools and attack terminology so you can recognize them and defend against them. Practice only on systems you own or have written permission to test. Nothing on this site runs a command or an exploit.
What it is for
Identify visible website technologies from HTTP responses.
Authorized use: Use it only on systems you own or have written permission to test. Git in the Zone explains the tool; it does not launch it.
Operating systems: Commonly Linux, via Ruby.
Language you will see
- fingerprint
- plugin
- header
How to read the options
- Fingerprint: A set of clues, such as headers and page patterns, that suggest a product. It can be wrong.
- Header: Metadata sent with a response. Announcing an exact version is often unnecessary.
Common misconception
- A technology fingerprint is not a vulnerability by itself. It becomes useful when you compare it with what should actually be running.