A penetration test, colloquially known as a pen test, pentest or ethical hacking, is an authorized simulated cyberattack on a computer system, performed to evaluate the security of the system;[1][2] this is not to be confused with a vulnerability assessment.[3] The test is performed to identify weaknesses (also referred to as vulnerabilities), including the potential for unauthorized parties to gain access to the system's features and data,[4][5] as well as strengths,[6] enabling a full risk assessment to be completed.