Some Important Definitions in Penetration Testing
🧠 Some Important Definitions in Penetration Testing
By Herm Cardona – N1PWN
“If it can’t be exploited; then it’s not a vulnerability.”
— CSC StrikeForce
With over seven years in the field delivering penetration testing services to clients across the United States, the UK, EU, and Australia, I’ve noticed that some critical definitions in cybersecurity often get confused or watered down—especially when marketing departments and compliance auditors start getting involved.
So let’s cut through the noise with some straight-up, field-tested clarity.
🔍 Penetration Testing vs. Security Testing
A penetration test is a controlled, authorized simulation of a cyberattack against your systems, applications, or networks to identify exploitable vulnerabilities. It’s offensive, hands-on, and highly methodical.
Security testing, on the other hand, is a broader term. It often involves static code analysis, compliance checks, or configuration reviews. Think of it as “inspection” work. A penetration test is more like a tactical breach and entry.
If you’re not actively trying to break in, exploit, and gain access? You’re not doing a pen test. You’re just auditing.
⚔️ Penetration Testing vs. Vulnerability Scanning
This one’s a doozy.
A vulnerability scan is automated. It identifies “potential” vulnerabilities using signatures, plugins, or version-matching. It’s fast, easy to schedule, and useful—but not a penetration test.
A penetration test involves exploitation. If I find a vulnerable service running, I don’t just log it—I dig in, develop a payload, chain it with misconfigurations or logic flaws, and demonstrate real-world impact.
That’s why the quote holds:
“If it can’t be exploited; then it’s not a vulnerability.”
A Nessus scan might light up a hundred “medium” alerts. A pen tester? We’ll zero in on one that breaks everything.
🧠 Red Team vs. Blue Team
These aren’t just cool nicknames—they define entire security mindsets.
- The Red Team simulates real-world adversaries. We breach, pivot, and escalate—testing your detection and response.
- The Blue Team defends the castle. They manage firewalls, logs, monitoring, incident response, and more.
💣 Breakout Time is a key Red Team metric: how fast can we move laterally from the point of entry before detection?
When organizations run Purple Team ops, Red and Blue work together to level up both sides—simulating, detecting, learning, improving.
🕵️ Hacker vs. Cybercriminal
Not all hackers are criminals.
“Hacker” is a term that’s been hijacked by the media. In truth:
- Ethical hackers are security professionals who use their skills for good—finding flaws before bad actors can exploit them.
- Cybercriminals are threat actors who break into systems for financial gain, sabotage, espionage, or personal challenge.
I’m a hacker. I’m also a penetration tester, a former counterintelligence agent, and a guy with more certs than passwords.
If you’re a company looking to secure your environment, you need to hire someone who understands the difference—and lives it daily.
🏁 Final Thoughts
Knowing the difference between a scan and a test, a security audit and an offensive engagement, or an ethical hacker and a black hat isn’t just terminology—it’s operational clarity. It affects your budget, your security posture, and your ability to defend when real threats show up.
Whether you’re the CISO, a developer, or a system admin—precision matters.
✍️ About the Author
Herm Cardona is a Penetration Test Engineer, former U.S. Army Counterintelligence Special Agent, and cyber-tactical polymath with over 24 certifications including OSCP, OSWP, and CompTIA CASP+. He holds a Master’s in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University and has spent decades blending analog grit with digital mastery.
Vanity callsign: N1PWN
Base of operations: Somewhere between your firewall and the deep web.