The Network Assessment Kit (NAK) stores tools and equipment to assist with network assessments. Tools for network assessments can get rather large and bulky, such as switches and packet capturing devices. Thus the equipment will vary by the components involved with the assessment. Use project scoping time to understand the types of network medium (i.e. copper, fiber) and network speed (i.e. 1 Gigabit per second, 10 Gigabit per second) that will be evaluated. The following kits are a generic list to get people started.
NOTE: Equipment changes over time. It is natural that that some of the equipment listed in these kits will be dated and, possibly, discontinued. Equipment is useful until new functionality is required or something more consistent is identified. All kits should be viewed as good starting points.
Sniffing is a basic requirement for network assessments. There are multiple tools and techniques. This basic kit is not intended include devices with injection functionality or to be hidden devices.
| Equipment | Vendor | Model | Description | Quantity | Cost* | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netgear 5-Port Gigabit Switch | Netgear | GS105Ev2 | Managed switch that can be configured to SPAN all traffic to one of the switch ports. | 1 | $50 | This is an older device. There should be newer models. |
| Throwing Star LAN Tap | Great Scott Gadgets | N/A | Simple network tap device that outputs TX traffic on one ethernet cable and RX traffic on a seperate ethernet cable. | 1 | $40 | Users can build your own or purchase pre-built devices with a case. |
| RJ45 Coupler in-Line Coupler | Dingsun | 8541694113 | Ethernet cable extender. | 1 | $5 | This comes in handy more times than you think. |
| Network Adapter USB 3.0 to Ethernet RJ45 Lan Gigabit Adapter | UGREEN | FBA_20256 | Network Adapter USB 3.0 to Ethernet RJ45 Lan Gigabit Adapter for 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet | 2 | $14 | Necessary for most laptops these days. |
| 5-Feet Cat6 Snagless Ethernet Patch Cable | Cable Matters | FBA_1600215X5 | 5-Feet Cat6 Snagless Ethernet Patch Cable, Pack of 5 | 1 | $11 | Don't expect that your client will have extra ethernet cables. |
* Cost on 2019/08/01
