Reconnaissance
Also called: recon
Course: AP® Cybersecurity Shows up in: Unit 1: Introduction to SecurityUnit 2: Securing Spaces
The first phase of a cyberattack, gathering as much information about a target as possible, often from open source intelligence.
Appears in the course and exam description (CED): 2.1.C.21.4.A.5
Why it matters in Unit 2
Everything posted publicly can feed it, and AI tools make it faster.
Example
An adversary collects staff names and email formats from a company’s website.
Learn it properly, with a checkpoint 2.1 Cyber Foundations