What does penetration testing involve?

Penetration testing involves professional hacking undertaken with permission from the organization to identify vulnerabilities. This practice is a simulated cyberattack that helps organizations discover security weaknesses in their systems, applications, or networks before malicious actors can exploit them. By approving controlled tests, organizations can assess their security posture, prioritize vulnerabilities based on risk, and take necessary measures to enhance their defenses.

This approach emphasizes ethical hacking, where the tester acts as a real attacker but within a legal and authorized framework. The testing typically covers various aspects, including system configurations, coding practices, and organization-wide security policies.

While scanning ports for vulnerabilities may be part of the penetration testing process, it is not the entirety of what penetration testing encompasses. Similarly, while unauthorized attempts to access data imply a breach, penetration testing is a planned and sanctioned activity aimed at protecting data. Developing software to protect against breaches is a different domain focused on prevention rather than the evaluation and identification of existing vulnerabilities.