Term 31
Cobalt Strike
Cobalt Strike is a commercial penetration testing tool used by security professionals to simulate advanced cyberattacks, but it is also widely abused by real adversaries for post-exploitation and command-and-control operations.
Acronym study
Terms 31–60 of 135 PT0-002 acronyms and key terms. Each entry includes a plain-English definition and a link to the full 800-word glossary page with exam context and practice questions.
Term 31
Cobalt Strike is a commercial penetration testing tool used by security professionals to simulate advanced cyberattacks, but it is also widely abused by real adversaries for post-exploitation and command-and-control operations.
Term 32
Command injection is a security vulnerability where an attacker inserts malicious commands into a system through an input field, tricking the application into executing them on the underlying operating system.
Term 33
A compensating control is a security measure implemented to reduce risk when a primary control cannot be used or is insufficient.
Term 34
A compliance scan is an automated security assessment that checks systems, networks, and applications against a defined set of regulatory or organizational standards to verify adherence to required policies.
Term 35
A configuration scan is an automated process that checks a system or network device against a known baseline to find settings that are insecure or out of compliance.
Term 36
Container image scan is the automated process of inspecting a container image for security vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and exposed secrets before it is deployed.
Term 37
Cost Explorer is an AWS tool that lets you visualize, understand, and manage your AWS spending and usage over time.
Term 38
A credentialed scan is a vulnerability assessment that uses valid user credentials to log into a target system, allowing deeper inspection of the system's internal configuration and software.
Term 39
Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) is a security tool that continuously monitors cloud environments to detect and fix misconfigurations, compliance violations, and security risks.
Term 40
Cross-Site Request Forgery is an attack that tricks a user into performing an unwanted action on a web application where they are currently authenticated.
Term 41
CVE stands for Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures, which is a publicly available list of standardized identifiers for known security vulnerabilities in software and hardware.
Term 42
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) is a standardized framework used to rate the severity of security vulnerabilities on a scale from 0 to 10.
Term 43
CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) is a structured catalog of software and hardware security weaknesses that helps IT professionals identify, prevent, and mitigate vulnerabilities in systems.
Term 44
DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) is a security testing method that finds vulnerabilities in running web applications by simulating real attacks from the outside.
Term 45
A deauthentication attack is a wireless network exploit where an attacker sends fake disconnection frames to force devices off a Wi-Fi network, often used to capture handshake data or disrupt connectivity.
Term 46
DNS enumeration is the process of systematically querying a Domain Name System (DNS) server to gather information about a target domain, including its subdomains, IP addresses, and mail server records.
Term 47
Enumeration is the systematic process of extracting detailed information about a target system, such as user accounts, network shares, services, and configurations, used during the reconnaissance phase of a security assessment.
Term 48
Evidence is any data or documentation that proves an event, action, or condition occurred, crucial for verifying compliance, security incidents, or system changes.
Term 49
An evil twin attack is a rogue wireless access point that impersonates a legitimate network to intercept or manipulate user traffic.
Term 50
An executive summary is a concise overview of a longer document that highlights the key points, findings, and recommendations so busy stakeholders can quickly grasp the essential information without reading the full report.
Term 51
Exploitability is a measure of how easy or difficult it is for an attacker to take advantage of a vulnerability in a system or software.
Term 52
Exploitation is the act of using a vulnerability or weakness in a system, network, or application to gain unauthorized access, cause damage, or extract data.
Term 53
A false negative is when a security tool fails to detect a real threat, mistakenly treating it as harmless.
Term 54
A false positive is an alert or result that indicates a security threat or vulnerability exists when in fact there is no real issue.
Term 55
A false positive validation occurs when a security tool incorrectly identifies a legitimate activity, file, or user as a threat.
Term 56
Fingerprinting is the process of gathering information about a target system or network to identify its operating system, services, software versions, and configuration details during the reconnaissance phase of a security assessment.
Term 57
A forged Kerberos authentication ticket that grants an attacker unrestricted domain admin access to all resources in a Windows Active Directory environment.
Term 58
Google dorking is the practice of using advanced search operators in Google to uncover sensitive information that companies or individuals unintentionally expose on the internet.
Term 59
Hash cracking is the process of attempting to reverse a hashed value back to its original plaintext input, typically used by attackers to recover passwords or by security professionals to test password strength.
Term 60
Hashcat is a powerful password recovery tool that uses various attack methods to crack password hashes, widely used by security professionals and penetration testers.