Penetration Testing: Find Out How Experts Protect Your Systems
- barbarela48
- May 30
- 3 min read
Penetration testing (or pentesting) is an essential practice in cybersecurity, consisting of simulating attacks on a computer system to identify and remediate vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by malicious actors.
Origins of Penetration Testing
The origins of pentesting date back to the 1960s, a time when computer security was just beginning to emerge as a major concern. In 1971, security consultant James P. Anderson formalized the first penetration testing methodologies in his report on the vulnerabilities of computer systems. He notably introduced the concept of "Tiger Teams," groups of experts tasked with assessing the security of systems by simulating real-life attacks. At the same time, incidents such as the hacking of the MIT Compatible Time-Sharing System (CTSS) in the 1960s highlighted the need to actively test system security to prevent intrusions.
Objectives and Uses of Penetration Testing
Pent testing aims to:
Identify security flaws: detect vulnerabilities before they are exploited.
