‫So first things first, what is the penetration test?
‫To answer this question, I would like to show you three definitions from three different resources.
‫Talk about reconnaissance.
‫The first one is from Wikipedia, the definition of penetration test in Wikipedia is as follows, and
‫I quote an attack on a computer system with the intention of finding security weaknesses, potentially
‫gaining access to it.
‫Its functionality and data end quote.
‫Now I want you to pay attention to the words with the intention of finding security weaknesses.
‫Mm-Hmm.
‫Second definition is from the CISSP preparation guide book and I quote a pen test can determine how
‫a system reacts to an attack, whether or not a system is defenses can be breached and what information
‫can be acquired from the system.
‫Now, the words that I want to emphasize here are how a system reacts to an attack.
‫In the last definition is from another book, it's called Penetration Testing, Protecting Networks
‫and Systems.
‫And I put pen testing is this simulation of an attack on a system, network, piece of equipment or
‫other facility with the objective of proving how vulnerable that system or target would be to a real
‫attack end quote.
‫We want you to notice the words here.
‫The simulation of an attack.
‫So my take on this, since you're asking, is basically bringing a few of these selected parts of the
‫previous definitions together.
‫So my definition penetration test or pen test is the attack simulation on IT systems with the intention
‫of finding security weaknesses to determine how systems react to these weaknesses.
‫See what I mean?