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Cybersecurity vocabulary · Penetration Testing

Proof of concept

Meaning in cybersecurity, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In cybersecurity, proof of concept means: A small demonstration, such as a piece of code or a screenshot, that shows a vulnerability is real and can actually be exploited.

In Turkish: kavram kanıtı, PoC

How it is used

Usually called a PoC, said letter by letter. Pentest reports and bug bounty submissions include a PoC as evidence. When a public PoC appears, the risk rises because attackers can reuse it. In general business English, a PoC is also a small trial of a product or idea.

Example sentences

  1. The researcher's proof of concept showed that any user could read other users' files.

  2. A public proof of concept was released yesterday, so we raised the patch priority.

Common collocations

  • public PoC
  • PoC code
  • working proof of concept
  • include a PoC
  • exploitA piece of code or a technique that takes advantage of a vulnerability to make a system do something it was not designed to do.
  • findingA security problem or weakness that is identified and documented during an audit, assessment or penetration test, usually with a severity rating.
  • bug bountyA programme in which an organisation invites outside researchers to find and report vulnerabilities in its systems and pays rewards for valid reports.
  • vulnerabilityA weakness in software, hardware, a configuration or a process that an attacker could use to cause harm or to gain access they should not have.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Penetration Testing

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