Hack your way to system security: Internet penetration testing

Professional consultants hired to perform penetration testing need a well-defined methodology to systematically check for known vulnerabilities and identify potential security holes in a limited time frame. A single methodology also helps ensure a consistent level of reliability in results across multiple engagements. This sample chapter from Hack I.T.: Security Through Penetration Testing introduces tools and an overall methodology for penetration testing that can be broken into a three-step process:

• Network enumeration - discovering as much as possible about the target.
• Vulnerability analysis - identifying all potential avenues of attack.
• Exploitation - attempting to compromise the network by leveraging the results of the vulnerability analysis and following as many avenues identified as time allows.

Title: Hack I.T.: Security Through Penetration Testing
ISBN: 0201719568
Published: February 2002
Authors: Ajay Gupta, T.J. Klevinsky, Scott Laliberte
Chapter: Chapter 5: Internet Penetration
Published by Addison Wesley Professional