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Software Engineering vocabulary · APIs, Networking and Security

Penetration test

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

nounCore term

In software engineering, penetration test means: An authorised, simulated attack on a system, application or network, carried out by security specialists to find weaknesses before real attackers do.

In Turkish: sızma testi, penetrasyon testi, pentest

How it is used

Almost always called a pentest, and the people who do it are pentesters. Companies commission and scope a pentest, often yearly or after major changes, and receive a report of findings. The work needs written permission and an agreed scope.

Example sentences

  1. The annual penetration test is scheduled for the second week of March.

  2. The penetration test report listed two high-severity findings in the login flow.

Common collocations

  • run a penetration test
  • external penetration test
  • penetration test report
  • scope a pentest
  • web application pentest
  • rules of engagementThe agreed conditions of a security test: what may be tested, when, with which methods and whom to contact if something goes wrong.
  • findingA security problem or weakness that is identified and documented during an audit, assessment or penetration test, usually with a severity rating.
  • vulnerability scanAn automated check of systems, networks or applications that looks for known weaknesses, missing patches and insecure settings and lists them in a report.

This word in other fields

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

More terms: APIs, Networking and Security

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