This document discusses information gathering techniques used during a penetration test. It outlines the phases of a pentest as information gathering, vulnerability analysis, exploitation, post exploitation, and reporting. Effective information gathering, such as using Google hacking, Netcraft, Whois, host, and dig commands, significantly increases the chances of a successful attack. Passive techniques include searching online databases and documents, while active techniques involve direct interaction with the target system through actions like port scanning. Gathering public information on a target prepares pentesters to find and analyze vulnerabilities before attempting exploitation.