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Network Penetration Test

Guides an agent through a PTES-style network pentest: discovery, scanning, vuln checks, and controlled exploitation.

Source Download skill
Repository
mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills
Stars
35,430
Licence
Apache-2.0
Files
3 files

What it does

When installed, this skill gives the agent a structured playbook for testing the security of a computer network the way a professional penetration tester would. It walks through finding live hosts, scanning open ports, identifying service versions and known vulnerabilities, attempting controlled exploitation, and documenting results. It also includes a Python helper script that automates host discovery and port scanning using the Nmap tool. It is written for authorized security assessments and explicitly tells the agent to require written authorization and a scope document first.

Great for

  • Security engineers running an authorized internal or external network assessment
  • Teams preparing for PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOC 2 or ISO 27001 penetration testing requirements
  • Students or lab users practising network pentest methodology in an isolated environment

Skip it if

  • Testing networks you do not own or have written permission to test, since the skill's exploitation, password spraying and credential theft steps can cause real harm and legal liability
  • Production systems without an approved change window and rollback plan, because scanning and exploitation can crash services
  • Anyone wanting a beginner tutorial: the skill assumes working knowledge of Nmap, Metasploit and Active Directory attacks

Try asking

  • “Plan a PTES-style network penetration test for our office subnet 10.10.0.0/16, starting with scope validation”
  • “Run host discovery and port scanning on the authorized lab range and summarize open services”
  • “Correlate the service versions we found with CVEs and prioritize them by CVSS and business impact”
  • “Draft a penetration test report documenting each finding, affected host and evidence”
Step-by-step guide: how to use Network Penetration TestInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

Install in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Download the skill

    The ZIP contains the 3 original files, the Apache-2.0 licence and an attribution note.

    conducting-network-penetration-test.zip
  2. 2

    Add it to your agent

    Claude Code (all projects)

    mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && unzip conducting-network-penetration-test.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/

    Claude Code / Agent SDK (this project only)

    mkdir -p .claude/skills && unzip conducting-network-penetration-test.zip -d .claude/skills/

    Claude apps (web/desktop): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill, and choose the ZIP.

  3. 3

    Ask for the task

    No special command needed — the agent reads the skill's description and loads it when your request matches. Try one of the prompts above.

Get better results

  • Only point the agent at ranges covered by a signed scope document, and confirm the target list before any scan runs.
  • Review the Python script and generated commands before execution, especially exploitation and credential steps, and keep the activity log the skill requires.
  • Use an isolated lab or staging network first to check how the agent's commands behave against your environment.

What's inside

  • references/api-reference.md
  • scripts/agent.py
  • SKILL.md

Redistributed unmodified from mukul975/Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills under the Apache-2.0 licence. The assessment was drafted with AI from the skill's files on 2026-10-29. Skills can instruct your agent to run code — read SKILL.md and any scripts before installing.