1. Authorized scope
Every engagement starts with written authorization and an explicit scope — you only ever touch systems the owner has signed off on.
scope: authorized-targets-onlyTyporithm · medium
Pentest Methodology
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Learn Pentest Methodology
Offensive (Authorized)
A penetration test is authorized, scoped testing governed by rules of engagement. It proceeds recon to scanning to exploitation to post-exploitation to reporting. The goal is to find and document weaknesses so they can be fixed before real attackers reach them.
A penetration test is not hacking — it is authorized, scoped testing. Written authorization and a defined scope of targets come first; the rules of engagement say what you may touch, when, and how.
The work follows phases: recon (gather information), scanning (enumerate services), exploitation (validate that a vulnerability is real), and post-exploitation (assess the impact of a foothold). Each phase stays inside the agreed scope.
The output is a report. Findings and the fixes that close them are the whole point — you surface weaknesses so the owner can harden the system before a real attacker exploits them.
01
Written authorization and scope come first.
02
Phases: recon, scanning, exploitation, post-exploitation, reporting.
03
The deliverable is documented findings plus fixes.
engagement:
scope: authorized-targets-only
recon: passive-and-active
scanning: enumerate-services
exploitation: validate-vulns
post_exploitation: assess-impact
reporting: findings-and-fixesRead the implementation
Connect each part of the code to the concept before you type.
2. Reconnaissance
Recon gathers information about the in-scope targets, passively (public data) and actively (probing the target).
recon: passive-and-active3. Scanning
Scanning enumerates the live services and versions to build a map of the attack surface.
scanning: enumerate-services4. Exploitation
Exploitation safely validates that a suspected vulnerability is real, proving impact without causing damage.
exploitation: validate-vulns5. Reporting
The deliverable is a report: every finding documented with a concrete fix so defenders can remediate.
reporting: findings-and-fixesA complete learning loop
01
Understand
Read the concept map and follow the code breakdown.
02
Reconstruct
Type the implementation, repair mistakes and work through every recall exercise.
03
Verify
Use the final check without hints; revisit weak concepts in short practice sessions.