Security Advanced

What is Penetration Testing?

An authorized simulated cyberattack on a system to evaluate its security defenses and identify vulnerabilities.

Penetration testing (pen testing) mimics real-world attacks to find security weaknesses before malicious actors do. Phases include reconnaissance, scanning, exploitation, post-exploitation, and reporting.

Types include black box (no knowledge), white box (full access), and gray box (partial knowledge). Tools include Metasploit, Burp Suite, Nmap, and OWASP ZAP. Regular pen testing is essential for security compliance and risk management.

Related Terms

Configuration entries that define which network traffic is allowed or blocked based on source, destination, port, and protocol.

SIEM (Security Information and Event Management)

A platform that collects, correlates, and analyzes security events from across an organization to detect threats and incidents.

Webhook Signature Verification

A security mechanism that verifies webhook payloads are authentic and unmodified using cryptographic signatures.

Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

A strategy and set of tools that detect and prevent unauthorized transmission of sensitive data outside an organization.

SOC (Security Operations Center)

A centralized team and facility responsible for monitoring, detecting, analyzing, and responding to cybersecurity threats 24/7.

Input Validation

The process of verifying that user-supplied data meets expected formats, types, and ranges before processing it.

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