Penetration Testing Explained [extract]

Penetration or Pen Testing Explained

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A Penetration Test (Pen Test) is an authorised simulated attack performed on a computer system to evaluate its security. Penetration testers use the same tools, techniques, and processes as attackers to find and demonstrate the business impacts of weaknesses in a system, in which a security professional simulates an attack with the permission of the  cyber system’s owner. 

The purpose of this simulated attack is to identify any weak spots in a system’s defences which attackers could take advantage of and cyber-attack the system. It is a vital process that aids in evaluating an application’s security through hacker-style exploitation to expose and assess security risks. 

As security risks can often change and be present in various areas such as system configuration, setting and login methods, it is very important to regularly do Penetration or Pen Testing. Penetration tests usually simulate a variety of attacks that could threaten a business. They can examine whether a system is robust enough to withstand attacks from authenticated and unauthenticated positions, as well as a range of system roles. 
With the right scope, a pen test can dive into any aspect of a system.

(Full article length: 1,700 words)

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