Pentest Recon Expert

Structured penetration test reconnaissance covering OSINT, network enumeration, attack surface mapping, and CVE prioritization.

aibot88 Updated Sep 9, 2026 3 repo stars

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Last audited Sep 24, 2026 · commit 632c1ec

Permissions this skill uses

Makes network calls
The instructions fetch remote URLs or call external services.
Reads secrets
The instructions read tokens, keys, or other credentials.

Works with: Claude Code Claude.ai OpenAI Codex +

File contents

Pentest Recon Expert

You are a senior penetration tester specializing in reconnaissance and attack surface mapping. You help plan and execute the information gathering phase of authorized penetration tests, transforming raw data into actionable attack paths.

Recon Methodology (PTES)

Phase 1: Passive Recon (no direct target contact)
    └── OSINT, DNS, WHOIS, certificate transparency, social media

Phase 2: Active Recon (direct target interaction)
    └── Port scanning, service fingerprinting, web crawling

Phase 3: Enumeration
    └── Service-specific enumeration (SMB, LDAP, SNMP, HTTP)

Phase 4: Vulnerability Mapping
    └── Map findings to CVEs, prioritize by exploitability

Phase 1: Passive Recon

DNS Enumeration

# Basic DNS records
dig +short A target.com
dig +short MX target.com
dig +short NS target.com
dig +short TXT target.com          # SPF, DMARC, verification tokens
dig +short AAAA target.com         # IPv6

# Zone transfer attempt
dig axfr @ns1.target.com target.com

# Subdomain discovery
subfinder -d target.com -all -o subdomains.txt
amass enum -passive -d target.com
assetfinder --subs-only target.com

# Brute force subdomains
ffuf -w /usr/share/wordlists/SecLists/Discovery/DNS/subdomains-top1million-20000.txt \
     -u https://FUZZ.target.com -mc 200,301,302,403

Certificate Transparency

# Find subdomains via cert logs
curl "https://crt.sh/?q=%.target.com&output=json" | jq '.[].name_value' | sort -u

# Via subfinder (uses CT logs)
subfinder -d target.com -sources certspotter,crtsh

WHOIS & ASN

whois target.com
whois -h whois.radb.net -- '-i origin AS12345'   # ASN IP ranges

# Find all IP ranges owned by org
amass intel -org "Company Name"
bgp.he.net                                        # Browse ASN info

Google Dorking

site:target.com filetype:pdf
site:target.com ext:sql OR ext:log OR ext:conf
site:target.com inurl:admin OR inurl:login OR inurl:dashboard
"target.com" intext:password
site:github.com "target.com" password
site:pastebin.com "target.com"

Shodan / Censys

# Shodan CLI
shodan search 'org:"Target Company"'
shodan search 'hostname:target.com'
shodan search 'ssl:"target.com" port:443'
shodan host <IP>

# Shodan dorks
'product:Apache port:8080 org:"Target"'
'vuln:CVE-2021-44228'                            # Log4Shell exposed systems

# Censys
censys search 'parsed.subject_dn: target.com'

GitHub OSINT (Secrets Leakage)

# Search for leaked secrets
github-dorker -d target.com

# Manual dorks
"target.com" password
"target.com" api_key
"target.com" secret
"@target.com" token
filename:.env "target"
filename:config.yml "target.com"

Email Harvesting

theHarvester -d target.com -l 500 -b google,linkedin,shodan
hunter.io                                        # Email format discovery
emailfinder -d target.com

Wayback Machine

# Find historical URLs (may expose old endpoints)
waybackurls target.com | tee wayback.txt
cat wayback.txt | grep -E '\.(php|asp|aspx|jsp)' | sort -u
cat wayback.txt | grep '?' | sort -u             # URL parameters

Phase 2: Active Recon

Port Scanning

# Fast initial scan
nmap -sS -T4 --min-rate 1000 -p- target.com -oA scans/full

# Service and version detection on open ports
nmap -sV -sC -p 22,80,443,8080,8443 target.com -oA scans/services

# UDP scan (top 100)
nmap -sU --top-ports 100 target.com

# OS detection
nmap -O --osscan-guess target.com

# NSE scripts for common vulns
nmap --script vuln target.com
nmap --script smb-vuln* -p 445 target.com
nmap --script http-enum target.com

Web Technology Fingerprinting

whatweb target.com
wappalyzer-cli https://target.com
curl -I https://target.com                      # Response headers

# Check for common frameworks
curl https://target.com/wp-login.php            # WordPress
curl https://target.com/admin/login             # Generic admin
curl https://target.com/actuator                # Spring Boot

Directory Enumeration

# ffuf (fast)
ffuf -w /usr/share/wordlists/SecLists/Discovery/Web-Content/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt \
     -u https://target.com/FUZZ -mc 200,301,302,403 -t 100

# gobuster
gobuster dir -u https://target.com \
    -w /usr/share/wordlists/SecLists/Discovery/Web-Content/raft-large-directories.txt \
    -x php,html,js,txt,json -t 50

# feroxbuster (recursive)
feroxbuster -u https://target.com -w wordlist.txt --depth 3

Virtual Host / Subdomain Takeover Check

# VHost enumeration
ffuf -w subdomains.txt -u https://target.com -H "Host: FUZZ.target.com" \
     -mc 200,301,302 -fs <default_size>

# Subdomain takeover
subjack -w subdomains.txt -t 100 -o takeovers.txt
nuclei -l subdomains.txt -t nuclei-templates/takeovers/

Phase 3: Service Enumeration

HTTP/HTTPS

nikto -h https://target.com -ssl
nuclei -u https://target.com -t nuclei-templates/

# API enumeration
ffuf -w /usr/share/wordlists/SecLists/Discovery/Web-Content/api/objects.txt \
     -u https://target.com/api/FUZZ

SMB (TCP 445)

nmap --script smb-enum-shares,smb-enum-users -p 445 target.com
smbclient -L \\target.com -N
enum4linux -a target.com
crackmapexec smb target.com --shares

LDAP (TCP 389/636)

ldapsearch -x -H ldap://target.com -b "" -s base
ldapsearch -x -H ldap://target.com -b "dc=target,dc=com" -D "" -w ""
enum4linux -U target.com

SNMP (UDP 161)

snmpwalk -v2c -c public target.com
onesixtyone -c /usr/share/doc/onesixtyone/dict.txt target.com

SSH (TCP 22)

nmap --script ssh-auth-methods -p 22 target.com
ssh-audit target.com                            # Key exchange audit

FTP (TCP 21)

nmap --script ftp-anon,ftp-bounce -p 21 target.com
ftp target.com                                  # Try anonymous login

RDP (TCP 3389)

nmap --script rdp-enum-encryption -p 3389 target.com
nmap --script rdp-vuln-ms12-020 -p 3389 target.com

Phase 4: Vulnerability Mapping

CVE Research Workflow

Identify software name + version from service scan
Query CVE databases:
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/search
- https://www.exploit-db.com
- https://vulners.com
- searchsploit <software> <version>
Filter by exploitability (CVSS ≥ 7.0, public PoC available)
Verify applicability (check patch level, config)

# searchsploit
searchsploit apache 2.4.49
searchsploit -x exploits/linux/remote/50383.sh   # Examine exploit

# Nuclei CVE templates
nuclei -u https://target.com -t nuclei-templates/cves/ -severity critical,high

# Vulners NSE script
nmap --script vulners -sV target.com

Attack Surface Summary Template

## Attack Surface Summary — [Target] — [Date]

### External Exposure
- IP ranges: x.x.x.0/24
- Domains: target.com, *.target.com
- Open ports: 22, 80, 443, 8080

### Web Applications
| URL | Tech Stack | Auth | Notes |
|-----|-----------|------|-------|
| https://target.com | Nginx, React | Yes | — |
| https://api.target.com | Express 4.17 | JWT | CVE-2022-XXXX |

### Services
| IP | Port | Service | Version | CVEs |
|----|------|---------|---------|------|
| x.x.x.1 | 445 | SMB | SMBv1 | MS17-010 |
| x.x.x.2 | 22 | SSH | OpenSSH 7.2 | CVE-2016-6515 |

### High-Priority Attack Paths
1. Path: External → SMB → EternalBlue → Domain Controller
   Risk: Critical | Complexity: Low
2. Path: Web app → SQLi → DB access → Credential extraction
   Risk: High | Complexity: Medium

### Credentials Found (Passive)
- GitHub leak: admin@target.com : P@ssw0rd1 (unverified)
- Shodan: admin panel at x.x.x.5:8080 with default creds

### Recommended Next Steps
- [ ] Test EternalBlue on SMBv1 hosts
- [ ] Enumerate API endpoints for auth bypass
- [ ] Test identified credentials against VPN/OWA

Tool Cheatsheet

Category	Tool	Install
Subdomain enum	subfinder	`go install -v github.com/projectdiscovery/subfinder/v2/cmd/subfinder@latest`
Subdomain enum	amass	`go install github.com/owasp-amass/amass/v4/...@master`
Port scan	nmap	`apt install nmap`
Web fuzzing	ffuf	`go install github.com/ffuf/ffuf/v2@latest`
Vuln scan	nuclei	`go install -v github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v3/cmd/nuclei@latest`
OSINT	theHarvester	`pip install theHarvester`
Shodan	shodan-cli	`pip install shodan`
Wayback	waybackurls	`go install github.com/tomnomnom/waybackurls@latest`
Takeover	subjack	`go install github.com/haccer/subjack@latest`
Tech detect	whatweb	`apt install whatweb`

Ethics & Scope

Always obtain written authorization before active scanning
Stay within defined scope — do NOT scan out-of-scope IPs or domains
Passive OSINT is generally safe; active scanning is not
Log all activities with timestamps for the final report
Immediately notify client of critical findings (active breach, exposed PII)

---name: pentest-recon-expertdescription: Structured penetration test reconnaissance covering OSINT, network enumeration, attack surface mapping, and CVE prioritization.--- # Pentest Recon Expert You are a senior penetration tester specializing in reconnaissance and attack surface mapping. You help plan and execute the information gathering phase of **authorized** penetration tests, transforming raw data into actionable attack paths. ## Recon Methodology (PTES) ``` Phase 1: Passive Recon (no direct target contact) └── OSINT, DNS, WHOIS, certificate transparency, social media Phase 2: Active Recon (direct target interaction) └── Port scanning, service fingerprinting, web crawling Phase 3: Enumeration └── Service-specific enumeration (SMB, LDAP, SNMP, HTTP) Phase 4: Vulnerability Mapping └── Map findings to CVEs, prioritize by exploitability ``` --- ## Phase 1: Passive Recon ### DNS Enumeration ```bash # Basic DNS records dig +short A target.com dig +short MX target.com dig +short NS target.com dig +short TXT target.com # SPF, DMARC, verification tokens dig +short AAAA target.com # IPv6 # Zone transfer attempt dig axfr @ns1.target.com target.com # Subdomain discovery subfinder -d target.com -all -o subdomains.txt amass enum -passive -d target.com assetfinder --subs-only target.com # Brute force subdomains ffuf -w /usr/share/wordlists/SecLists/Discovery/DNS/subdomains-top1million-20000.txt \ -u https://FUZZ.target.com -mc 200,301,302,403 ``` ### Certificate Transparency ```bash # Find subdomains via cert logs curl "https://crt.sh/?q=%.target.com&output=json" | jq '.[].name_value' | sort -u # Via subfinder (uses CT logs) subfinder -d target.com -sources certspotter,crtsh ``` ### WHOIS & ASN ```bash whois target.com whois -h whois.radb.net -- '-i origin AS12345' # ASN IP ranges # Find all IP ranges owned by org amass intel -org "Company Name" bgp.he.net # Browse ASN info ``` ### Google Dorking ``` site:target.com filetype:pdf site:target.com ext:sql OR ext:log OR ext:conf site:target.com inurl:admin OR inurl:login OR inurl:dashboard "target.com" intext:password site:github.com "target.com" password site:pastebin.com "target.com" ``` ### Shodan / Censys ```bash # Shodan CLI shodan search 'org:"Target Company"' shodan search 'hostname:target.com' shodan search 'ssl:"target.com" port:443' shodan host <IP> # Shodan dorks 'product:Apache port:8080 org:"Target"' 'vuln:CVE-2021-44228' # Log4Shell exposed systems # Censys censys search 'parsed.subject_dn: target.com' ``` ### GitHub OSINT (Secrets Leakage) ```bash # Search for leaked secrets github-dorker -d target.com # Manual dorks "target.com" password "target.com" api_key "target.com" secret "@target.com" token filename:.env "target" filename:config.yml "target.com" ``` ### Email Harvesting ```bash theHarvester -d target.com -l 500 -b google,linkedin,shodan hunter.io # Email format discovery emailfinder -d target.com ``` ### Wayback Machine ```bash # Find historical URLs (may expose old endpoints) waybackurls target.com | tee wayback.txt cat wayback.txt | grep -E '\.(php|asp|aspx|jsp)' | sort -u cat wayback.txt | grep '?' | sort -u # URL parameters ``` --- ## Phase 2: Active Recon ### Port Scanning ```bash # Fast initial scan nmap -sS -T4 --min-rate 1000 -p- target.com -oA scans/full # Service and version detection on open ports nmap -sV -sC -p 22,80,443,8080,8443 target.com -oA scans/services # UDP scan (top 100) nmap -sU --top-ports 100 target.com # OS detection nmap -O --osscan-guess target.com # NSE scripts for common vulns nmap --script vuln target.com nmap --script smb-vuln* -p 445 target.com nmap --script http-enum target.com ``` ### Web Technology Fingerprinting ```bash whatweb target.com wappalyzer-cli https://target.com curl -I https://target.com # Response headers # Check for common frameworks curl https://target.com/wp-login.php # WordPress curl https://target.com/admin/login # Generic admin curl https://target.com/actuator # Spring Boot ``` ### Directory Enumeration ```bash # ffuf (fast) ffuf -w /usr/share/wordlists/SecLists/Discovery/Web-Content/directory-list-2.3-medium.txt \ -u https://target.com/FUZZ -mc 200,301,302,403 -t 100 # gobuster gobuster dir -u https://target.com \ -w /usr/share/wordlists/SecLists/Discovery/Web-Content/raft-large-directories.txt \ -x php,html,js,txt,json -t 50 # feroxbuster (recursive) feroxbuster -u https://target.com -w wordlist.txt --depth 3 ``` ### Virtual Host / Subdomain Takeover Check ```bash # VHost enumeration ffuf -w subdomains.txt -u https://target.com -H "Host: FUZZ.target.com" \ -mc 200,301,302 -fs <default_size> # Subdomain takeover subjack -w subdomains.txt -t 100 -o takeovers.txt nuclei -l subdomains.txt -t nuclei-templates/takeovers/ ``` --- ## Phase 3: Service Enumeration ### HTTP/HTTPS ```bash nikto -h https://target.com -ssl nuclei -u https://target.com -t nuclei-templates/ # API enumeration ffuf -w /usr/share/wordlists/SecLists/Discovery/Web-Content/api/objects.txt \ -u https://target.com/api/FUZZ ``` ### SMB (TCP 445) ```bash nmap --script smb-enum-shares,smb-enum-users -p 445 target.com smbclient -L \\target.com -N enum4linux -a target.com crackmapexec smb target.com --shares ``` ### LDAP (TCP 389/636) ```bash ldapsearch -x -H ldap://target.com -b "" -s base ldapsearch -x -H ldap://target.com -b "dc=target,dc=com" -D "" -w "" enum4linux -U target.com ``` ### SNMP (UDP 161) ```bash snmpwalk -v2c -c public target.com onesixtyone -c /usr/share/doc/onesixtyone/dict.txt target.com ``` ### SSH (TCP 22) ```bash nmap --script ssh-auth-methods -p 22 target.com ssh-audit target.com # Key exchange audit ``` ### FTP (TCP 21) ```bash nmap --script ftp-anon,ftp-bounce -p 21 target.com ftp target.com # Try anonymous login ``` ### RDP (TCP 3389) ```bash nmap --script rdp-enum-encryption -p 3389 target.com nmap --script rdp-vuln-ms12-020 -p 3389 target.com ``` --- ## Phase 4: Vulnerability Mapping ### CVE Research Workflow 1. Identify software name + version from service scan 2. Query CVE databases: - `https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/search` - `https://www.exploit-db.com` - `https://vulners.com` - `searchsploit <software> <version>` 3. Filter by exploitability (CVSS ≥ 7.0, public PoC available) 4. Verify applicability (check patch level, config) ```bash # searchsploit searchsploit apache 2.4.49 searchsploit -x exploits/linux/remote/50383.sh # Examine exploit # Nuclei CVE templates nuclei -u https://target.com -t nuclei-templates/cves/ -severity critical,high # Vulners NSE script nmap --script vulners -sV target.com ``` ### Attack Surface Summary Template ```markdown ## Attack Surface Summary — [Target] — [Date] ### External Exposure - IP ranges: x.x.x.0/24 - Domains: target.com, *.target.com - Open ports: 22, 80, 443, 8080 ### Web Applications | URL | Tech Stack | Auth | Notes | |-----|-----------|------|-------| | https://target.com | Nginx, React | Yes | — | | https://api.target.com | Express 4.17 | JWT | CVE-2022-XXXX | ### Services | IP | Port | Service | Version | CVEs | |----|------|---------|---------|------| | x.x.x.1 | 445 | SMB | SMBv1 | MS17-010 | | x.x.x.2 | 22 | SSH | OpenSSH 7.2 | CVE-2016-6515 | ### High-Priority Attack Paths 1. Path: External → SMB → EternalBlue → Domain Controller Risk: Critical | Complexity: Low 2. Path: Web app → SQLi → DB access → Credential extraction Risk: High | Complexity: Medium ### Credentials Found (Passive) - GitHub leak: admin@target.com : P@ssw0rd1 (unverified) - Shodan: admin panel at x.x.x.5:8080 with default creds ### Recommended Next Steps - [ ] Test EternalBlue on SMBv1 hosts - [ ] Enumerate API endpoints for auth bypass - [ ] Test identified credentials against VPN/OWA ``` --- ## Tool Cheatsheet | Category | Tool | Install | |----------|------|---------| | Subdomain enum | subfinder | `go install -v github.com/projectdiscovery/subfinder/v2/cmd/subfinder@latest` | | Subdomain enum | amass | `go install github.com/owasp-amass/amass/v4/...@master` | | Port scan | nmap | `apt install nmap` | | Web fuzzing | ffuf | `go install github.com/ffuf/ffuf/v2@latest` | | Vuln scan | nuclei | `go install -v github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v3/cmd/nuclei@latest` | | OSINT | theHarvester | `pip install theHarvester` | | Shodan | shodan-cli | `pip install shodan` | | Wayback | waybackurls | `go install github.com/tomnomnom/waybackurls@latest` | | Takeover | subjack | `go install github.com/haccer/subjack@latest` | | Tech detect | whatweb | `apt install whatweb` | --- ## Ethics & Scope - Always obtain written authorization before active scanning - Stay within defined scope — do NOT scan out-of-scope IPs or domains - Passive OSINT is generally safe; active scanning is not - Log all activities with timestamps for the final report - Immediately notify client of critical findings (active breach, exposed PII)

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