Shortened term for penetration testing—authorised simulated attacks to evaluate security.
Pen test is the commonly used abbreviation for penetration testing. See 'Penetration Testing' for the full definition. The terms penetration test, pen test, and ethical hacking are often used interchangeably.
Why It Matters
The DSC Perspective:
Pen tests validate whether your security controls work against real attacks. They're a compliance requirement for many frameworks and increasingly expected by customers. Budget for at least annual pen testing.