// GLOSSARY

Penetration Test

An offensive test run under controlled execution to produce validated technical evidence. It has four scopes in the Red in Pulse portfolio: Application Security (PT-1), Network Security (PT-2), Cloud Security (PT-3) and Continuous Penetration Testing (PT-5); each scope carries a distinct evidence object, and the PT- code is not used as a heading without explanation. What the concept is most often confused with is a vulnerability scan, and the difference between them lies not in intent but in method. A scanner automatically searches for known vulnerability signatures and produces a list of possibilities saying 'this might be here'; it is fast, broad, but context-free and full of false positives. A penetration test goes beyond this list: it tests with a safe proof of concept (PoC) whether each possible vulnerability is genuinely exploitable, links vulnerabilities into a real attack path, and shows the business impact. A scan asks 'is the door locked', a penetration test tries to open the door and, if it opens, shows what would be found inside. NIST SP 800-115, PTES and the OWASP methodologies are the frameworks of this discipline; evidence-based validation is its common principle.