Exploitation is the act of taking a known vulnerability and actually using it to gain unauthorized access or cause impact. You’re not just saying this system has a weakness – you’re proving it by breaking in.

If vulnerability assessment is finding the cracks in the wall, exploitation is walking through them.

Red team / penetration testing: You’re hired (or authorized) to exploit vulnerabilities to test the organization’s defenses. You’ve got written permission, a scope, and an objective.

Part of the free Intro to Cyber course by Cover6 Solutions.