This phase will increase the odds of success in later phases of the penetration test. It is also the very first step in Information Gathering and it will tell you the "landscape" looks like. What is t

Network mapping is an active reconnaissance technique that occurs after initial footprinting has already established the target scope.

Footprinting is the first and most critical phase of information gathering in ethical hacking, where the tester maps out the target's digital landscape - including IP ranges, domain names, employee info, and technologies - without directly interacting with the target. Spending significant time here directly increases the effectiveness of all subsequent phases by reducing unknowns and attack surface blind spots.

Escalating privileges is a post-exploitation phase that occurs only after access has already been gained, not in early information gathering.

Gaining access is a later exploitation phase that depends on intelligence already gathered during footprinting.