Chapter 10. The Tool Kit

A penetration-testing tool kit is a collection of software and hardware that provides automated retrieval of information, interaction with a target network, and a means of exploiting identified weaknesses. No two tool kits look the same (everyone adapts the tools they use to their particular network or preference), but there are several programs that have proven to be very useful and can be found in most tool kits.

This chapter discusses the hardware specifications and basic configuration of a system that can be used to perform penetration testing. These are general parameters and should be seen not as exclusionary but as a suggestion for a starting point for developing your own penetration-testing system. We cover and compare freeware and commercial security tools in later chapters, but we focus on operating system and functional programs in this chapter. These programs form the core of the penetration-testing kit as well as add the functionality that is required to interact in a variety of different network environments. In some instances, we have found specific tools that cut down on the amount of effort or time required to perform a task. These tools have been found indispensable as part of the tool kit.