What is Penetration Testing
Penetration Testing (Pentesting) is the authorized simulation of cyberattacks to identify, exploit, and document security weaknesses in systems, networks, or applications.
Goals
Identify vulnerabilities
Validate exploitability
Measure real risk
Provide remediation guidance
Key Principle:
👉 Always have written permission (Rules of Engagement)
Types of Pentesting
By Knowledge Level
Black Box – No prior knowledge
Gray Box – Partial knowledge
White Box – Full access (code, configs)
By Target
Network Pentesting
Web Application Pentesting
Wireless Pentesting
Active Directory Pentesting
Cloud Pentesting
Mobile Pentesting
Social Engineering
Pentesting Methodology (PTES / OSCP Flow)
Phase 1: Reconnaissance (Information Gathering)
Passive
WHOIS
DNS records
Google dorking
Social media OSINT
Active
Ping sweeps
Port scanning
Service detection
Tools
whois
theHarvester
nslookup
amass
recon-ng
Phase 2: Scanning & Enumeration
Identify open ports, services, versions, users, shares
Network Scanning
Copy code
Bash
nmap -sS -p- -T4
nmap -sC -sV
Enumeration Examples
SMB: enum4linux, smbclient
FTP: anonymous login
SNMP: snmpwalk
Web: directory brute-force
Tools
Nmap
Netcat
Enum4linux
Gobuster / Dirsearch
Phase 3: Vulnerability Analysis
Map services to known vulnerabilities.
Sources
CVE databases
Exploit-DB
Vendor advisories
Tools
searchsploit
Nessus
OpenVAS
Nikto (web)
Phase 4: Exploitation
Exploit vulnerabilities to gain access.
Common Attacks
Exploit outdated services
SQL Injection
Command Injection
File Inclusion
Weak credentials
Buffer overflow
Tools
Metasploit
SQLmap
Burp Suite
Custom scripts
Phase 5: Post-Exploitation
Assess impact after access.
Activities
Privilege escalation
Credential dumping
Lateral movement
Persistence
Linux PrivEsc
SUID binaries
Weak sudo rules
Kernel exploits
Windows PrivEsc
Unquoted service paths
Weak service permissions
Token impersonation
Tools
LinPEAS / WinPEAS
Mimikatz
BloodHound
Phase 6: Reporting
Most important phase.
Report Includes
Executive summary
Scope
Findings (severity-based)
Proof of concept
Risk impact
Remediation steps
Common Vulnerabilities (High Yield)
Weak passwords
Missing patches
Misconfigured services
Default credentials
Insecure file uploads
Broken authentication
Improper access controls
Web Pentesting Basics
OWASP Top 10
Broken Access Control
Cryptographic Failures
Injection
Insecure Design
Security Misconfiguration
Vulnerable Components
Authentication Failures
Software Integrity Failures
Logging Failures
SSRF
Tools
Burp Suite
OWASP ZAP
SQLmap
Nikto
Kali Linux Core Tools
Nmap
Metasploit
Burp Suite
Hydra
John the Ripper
Hashcat
Wireshark
Aircrack-ng
Legal & Ethical Rules
Written authorization required
Stay within scope
No data destruction
Report responsibly
Follow local cyber laws (very important)
Pentester Mindset
Think like an attacker
Be methodical
Document everything
Assume nothing is secure
Exploit chaining is key
Practice Platforms
TryHackMe
Hack The Box
VulnHub
OverTheWire
Career Path (Quick View)
Networking fundamentals
Linux & Windows internals
Scripting (Bash, Python)
Web technologies
Certifications: eJPT → PNPT → OSCP
If you want, I can:
Convert this into PDF/cheat sheet
Go step-by-step pentesting lab
Focus only on network, web, or AD pentesting
Tailor notes for OSCP / CEH / PNPT
Just tell me your focus.