Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Security Handbook

Why Penetration Testing?

Many administrators wonder why penetration testing is a valuable skill to have in their arsenal. Some of the potential benefits of penetration testing follow:

• Greatly increased knowledge of your network—In a penetration test, you explore your network from a new, and possibly unanticipated, outlook. A look at the network through the eyes of an attacker gives you new insights into possible flaws and helps you focus on the strengths of your security and general network design. It also gives you a chance to examine how attacks could happen and a better understanding of your network as a whole.

• Possible financial reward—Due to the ready availability of various free intrusion tools in the cracker community, you can often perform ...