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 a later reconnaissance sub-phase that occurs after initial footprinting has already identified the target scope.

Footprinting is the very first phase of ethical hacking and information gathering, where the attacker maps out the target's environment - including IP ranges, domain names, network topology, and exposed services. Spending significant time here directly increases the success rate of all subsequent phases because later attacks depend on accurate reconnaissance data. It provides the 'landscape' of the target organization before any active probing begins.

Escalating privileges occurs much later in the attack chain, after initial access has already been achieved.

Gaining access is a mid-phase activity that depends on intelligence gathered during footprinting and scanning phases.