Simple Multi-Target Reconnaissance (GCP)

Simple Multi-Target Reconnaissance leverages Google Cloud Platform infrastructure to perform efficient, scalable network reconnaissance across multiple targets simultaneously. This approach significantly reduces the time required for large-scale network analysis while maintaining high efficiency and scalability.

GCP architecture diagram showing the flow from Heph4estus through Cloud Workflows, Pub/Sub, GKE, and monitoring services

Architecture diagram showing GCP services integration for Simple Multi-Target reconnaissance

GCP Workflow Overview

1. Scan Initiation

  • User runs Heph4estus which triggers a producer application that uses the GCP SDK
  • The input file with targets is processed the same way

2. Producer Processing

  • The producer application packages target data and triggers a Cloud Workflow

3. Workflow Orchestration

  • Cloud Workflows executes the scanning workflow
  • Parallel execution is managed through the workflow definition

4. Message Publishing

  • For each target, a message is published to a Cloud Pub/Sub topic
  • Messages contain target and scan option information

5. Container Execution

  • Messages trigger GKE pods
  • Each container runs with the scanner image from Artifact Registry
  • VPC Service Controls can be used to restrict network access

6. Consumer Processing

  • Each container subscribes to Pub/Sub messages
  • The container runs Nmap with the specified parameters

7. Result Storage

  • Scan results are uploaded to Cloud Storage buckets
  • Object lifecycle policies can manage retention

8. Task Completion

  • Pub/Sub acknowledgments confirm message processing
  • Cloud Run instances scale down when idle

9. Error Handling

  • Error Reporting captures application errors
  • Logging and monitoring systems track failed operations