Which method is often the first type of network reconnaissance performed against a targeted network?

IP probing is commonly the first method used in network reconnaissance because it involves scanning the address space of a targeted network to identify live hosts and the services they may offer. This approach allows attackers to gather preliminary information about the network's structure and the devices connected to it without actively probing individual ports or capturing traffic, which may raise alarms.

The reason IP probing is a foundational step is that it helps attackers understand which addresses are active and available for further exploration. Once active hosts are identified, they can then conduct more detailed assessments, such as port scanning to check for open ports and services running on those devices.

While other methods like port scanning, social engineering, and packet capturing are important tools in the reconnaissance arsenal, they typically follow the initial identification of live systems through IP probing. Social engineering, for example, deals with human factors rather than direct network interaction, and so it would not be considered a technical reconnaissance method in the same context as the others.