Web Hacking — Methodology

A penetration test is not "just start hacking" — it's a repeatable sequence of phases, each one building on what the previous phase learned. Skipping a phase (e.g. going straight to exploitation without enumeration) usually means missing the easiest way in.

The five phases

1. Reconnaissance — passive and active information gathering about the target (see Reconnaissance and Information Gathering).
2. Scanning and enumeration — identify live hosts, open ports, and running services in detail, using tools like Nmap, Nessus, and Nikto (see Scanning & Enumeration).
3. Gain Access — exploit a discovered weakness to get a foothold (see the vulnerability-class pages, e.g. File Upload).
4. Maintaining access — keep a way back into the system after the initial foothold.
5. Covering tracks — clean up evidence of the test activity.

Why this order matters

Each phase feeds the next: recon tells you what exists, scanning/enumeration tells you what's running and how it's configured, and only then does exploitation have enough information to target the right weakness. Jumping straight to "Gain Access" without the first two phases means guessing blind.