Final answer:
Internet footprinting does not include exploiting vulnerabilities, performing actual attacks, or physical access attempts; it focuses on gathering publicly available information online.
Step-by-step explanation:
There are certain tactics and techniques that are specifically not involved in the modern Internet footprinting approach, which is a part of network-based reconnaissance. As a methodology focused on gathering information about a target through online sources, Internet footprinting generally doesn't include any form of direct interaction with the target's systems, which would be more characteristic of activities like penetration testing or network scanning.
Some examples of what is not included in Internet footprinting are:
- Exploiting software vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access
- Performing actual attacks on the network or systems
- Physical attempts to access network hardware or infrastructure
Instead, Internet footprinting relies mostly on collecting publicly available data, using search engines, social media, domain name registries, and other various Internet resources to gather intelligence on a particular target without alerting the target to the reconnaissance activity.