Test authorized network services with bounded discovery and protocol-aware validation. Use for hosts, ranges, ports, TLS, banners, versions, authentication, exposure, segmentation, configuration, packet evidence, or vulnerability checks.
Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.
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---
name: test-network-services
description: Test authorized network services with bounded discovery and protocol-aware validation. Use for hosts, ranges, ports, TLS, banners, versions, authentication, exposure, segmentation, configuration, packet evidence, or vulnerability checks.
---
# Test Network Services
## Overview
Establish what is actually listening and reachable before making vulnerability claims. Keep discovery, identification, configuration review, authentication tests, and exploit validation as separate authorized levels.
Read [references/network-test-levels.md](references/network-test-levels.md) before selecting tools or scan intensity.
## Workflow
1. Load approved targets/exclusions, source addresses, network path, time/rate limits, credentials, and contacts.
2. Resolve target identity.
- Record DNS, addresses, cloud/CDN/load-balancer ownership, environment, and routes; stop on third-party or out-of-scope resolution.
3. Discover conservatively.
- Start with known assets and low-rate reachability/port checks; record tool/version/options, packet source, loss, and filtering.
4. Identify services.
- Validate protocol, TLS/certificate, banner/version, authentication exposure, and application behavior instead of trusting port numbers or one fingerprint.
5. Assess configuration and exposure.
- Review unnecessary listeners, network boundary, encryption, weak/default access, anonymous behavior, management interfaces, and segmentation from approved vantage points.
6. Validate vulnerability candidates.
- Review scanner/template logic and use the smallest protocol-aware proof; route protocol mechanics to `network-protocol-skills`.
7. Stop and clean up.
- Halt on instability, rate-limit distress, unexpected sensitive data, third parties, or scope drift; close sessions and remove temporary access.
## Output
Return target resolution, discovery coverage, validated services, configuration/exposure observations, vulnerability candidates/validation, negative results, impact, and cleanup.
