GLOSSARY  /  Penetration Testing

What is Penetration Testing?

An authorized simulated attack to find and demonstrate exploitable security weaknesses.

Pentesters emulate real adversaries against scoped targets to validate defenses and produce actionable findings. Engagements range from external network tests to web app, wireless, and red-team exercises.

It differs from vulnerability scanning by actively exploiting findings.

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Part of the Ciphers Security glossary. Free reference for analysts, defenders & learners.