Mastering Kali Linux for Advanced Penetration Testing - Third Edition

The testing methodology

Methodologies rarely consider why a penetration test is being undertaken or which data is critical to the business and needs to be protected. In the absence of this vital first step, penetration tests lose focus.

Many penetration testers are reluctant to follow a defined methodology, fearing that it'll hinder their creativity in exploiting a network. Penetration testing fails to reflect the actual activities of a malicious attacker. Frequently, the client wants to see whether you can gain administrative access to a particular system (Can you root the box?). However, the attacker may be focused on copying critical data in a manner that does not require root access or cause a denial of service.

To address the limitations ...