Which process seeks to exploit system vulnerabilities by collecting information related to system exposures?

Penetration testing is a simulated cyber-attack on a system, network, or application to evaluate its security posture. The primary goal of penetration testing is to identify and exploit vulnerabilities, thereby demonstrating how an attacker could potentially gain unauthorized access to sensitive data or critical system resources. This process involves collecting information about the target environment, including configurations, system architecture, and existing defenses. By actively attempting to exploit identified vulnerabilities, penetration testers are able to provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of security controls, uncover hidden weaknesses, and assess the overall resilience of the system against real-world attacks.

In contrast, dynamic application security testing focuses on identifying vulnerabilities in running applications without exploiting them, while vulnerability scanning is often automated and primarily identifies known weaknesses without delving deeper into exploitation. Vulnerability assessment, on the other hand, involves identifying, quantifying, and prioritizing vulnerabilities but does not perform actual exploits to demonstrate their potential impact. The comprehensive nature of penetration testing, which includes exploration and exploitation activities, distinctly positions it as the correct answer in this context.