Before an attacker ever tries to get into your systems, most of them look first.
Not by breaking in -- by simply looking at what's already visible from the outside, the same way anyone could. What they find shapes everything that follows.
Recon Scan shows you what that looks like, from their side of the fence.
What "reconnaissance" actually means
Reconnaissance, in this context, means gathering information about a target using only what's publicly available -- no hacking involved, just looking.
That includes things like which websites and services your business runs, what software versions are in use, which email systems you rely on, and what other digital assets are connected to your organisation.
None of this requires special access. It's the equivalent of walking around a building and noting which doors and windows exist, before even trying a handle.
What a Recon Scan checks
A Recon Scan maps your organisation's outward-facing digital footprint -- the systems, subdomains, and services that are visible to anyone looking, whether they're a legitimate visitor or someone with less friendly intentions.
It builds a picture of what an attacker would see first, before they've done anything else.
This matters because most businesses have more visible surface area than they realise.
Old subdomains that were never taken down. A test environment nobody remembered to lock. A service that was set up for a project years ago and quietly forgotten. None of these are dramatic in isolation, but together they widen the options for an attacker looking for a way in.
Why this is worth checking regularly
Your digital footprint changes more often than you'd think -- new services are added, old ones are abandoned, and configurations shift as your business grows. A one-off check tells you what was visible on the day it ran -- it doesn't tell you what's visible today.
Sophos's 2026 State of Ransomware report found that brute force -- simply trying to guess or crack a way into an exposed service -- accounted for 6% of ransomware attacks last year.
Every one of those started the same way: an attacker finding a service they could try their luck against in the first place.
If reconnaissance is the first step for them, it makes sense for it to be one of the first things you check too -- seeing your own footprint before someone else maps it for you.
Turning visibility into action
The value of a Recon Scan isn't just knowing what's out there -- it's knowing what shouldn't be.
Old assets can be retired. Exposed services can be locked down or brought inside proper access controls. Most of this is straightforward to fix once you actually know it exists.
Getting started
Your free HackRisk Report includes a Recon Scan of your business, showing exactly what's visible from the outside right now.
It's completely free and ready within 24 hours.