What does the term 'Scanning' refer to in ethical hacking?

The term 'Scanning' in the context of ethical hacking primarily refers to the process of identifying active systems and services on a network. This stage follows the initial reconnaissance phase, where information about potential targets is gathered. During scanning, an ethical hacker employs various tools and techniques to actively probe network ranges, discovering hosts, open ports, services running on those ports, and potential vulnerabilities associated with those services.

This process is crucial because it allows the ethical hacker to build a map of the network and identify specific areas that require further investigation for vulnerabilities. By understanding which systems are active and which services are exposed, ethical hackers can better plan their next steps, whether that be further penetration testing or providing recommendations for strengthening security measures.

In contrast, the other options focus on different stages of the ethical hacking lifecycle but do not encapsulate the essence of scanning. Exploiting vulnerabilities relates more to the act of taking advantage of weaknesses that have been identified, maintaining access refers to the ability to keep a foothold in a compromised system, and gathering personal data involves the collection of sensitive information, which does not directly represent the scanning process.