Tutorials / Network

Network Pentesting

Prancer provides a comprehensive solution that combines network-level and application-level penetration testing—the only requirement is that tests involving network discovery and sniffing must be executed locally.

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Why Network Pentesting Requires the CLI

Cloud infrastructure limits certain system-level operations—like packet sniffing or deep network-level testing—inside serverless containers. To overcome these restrictions, network pentesting must be performed from a host with direct access to the target network using the Prancer CLI.

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Prerequisites

  • You must run the Prancer CLI on a Linux machine that has direct network access to your target host.

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  • For non-Linux environments, contact Prancer support for a compatible binary.
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Step 1: Generate an API Token

First, create an API token from your tenant in the portal so the CLI can authenticate with Prancer.

( docs.prancer.io, docs.prancer.io)

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Step 2: Tag Your Target for Network Pentesting

To enable network testing, you must tag the corresponding PAC manifest:

1. Navigate to Inventory Management.

2. Locate your target and click PAC Configuration.

3. In the ApplicationType must be Network:

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Step 3: Install the Prancer CLI Locally

On your Linux host, execute the following to install the CLI:

mkdir prancer cd prancer curl -O https://pacshare001.blob.core.windows.net/cli/prancer-pac-latest.tar.gz tar -xvf prancer-pac-latest.tar.gz cd prancer-pac-latest/ sudo ./install.sh prancer-pac version

  • The version command should output the installed version to confirm successful setup.
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Step 4: Execute the Network Pentest via CLI

With setup complete, initiate the network pentest using:

prancer-pac pentest \ --config <CONFIG_ID> \ --customer <YOUR_TENANT_NAME> \ --token <API_TOKEN>

Example:

prancer-pac pentest \ -c 688676759df83c0f5a555582 \ -i playground \ -d prod \ -t a06bb3154c3c460dbc2de502622fe5c4

  • The tenant name (customer) is derived from your portal URL: https://portal.prancer.io/prancer-<tenant-name>.
  • The Config ID comes from the PAC file in the inventory.

Step 5: Monitor the Test Progress

  • First-time execution may take 20–25 minutes as the CLI pulls a ~6 GB Docker image (prancer-pac-scanner) from Prancer’s registry.
  • As part of the test, Prancer includes a customized version of ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy) for dynamic application testing—even when testing network nodes. Expect some ZAP activity, though it may run briefly.
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Step 6: Review Results in the Portal

1. Go back to the portal’s Inventory Management page.

2. The status for your target will transition from In Progress to Completed.

3. Click See Latest Results to open the Pentest Findings page, where detailed network and application findings will be available.

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Summary

| Step | Description |

| 1 | Generate API token from portal |

| 2 | Tag PAC config with network in Inventory Management |

| 3 | Install Prancer CLI on a Linux host |

| 4 | Run prancer-pac pentest with config, customer, and token |

| 5 | Allow time for Docker image download (~6 GB) |

| 6 | Review results in portal findings page |

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Additional Screenshots

Additional screenshots, in order of appearance.

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