[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"framework:nist-800-53\u002Fca-8":3},{"item":4,"lessons":18,"controls":68,"related":98},{"family":5,"item":6,"code":7,"title":8,"citations":9,"publisher":10,"summary_md":11,"official_text":12,"official_attribution":13,"official_url":14,"link_label":15,"note":16,"updated_at":17},"nist-800-53","ca-8","CA-8","Penetration Testing",25,"US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)","**What it asks for.** The organisation must conduct penetration testing on defined systems or components at a defined frequency.\n\n**In practice.** Doing this well means a risk-based testing programme covering internet-facing services, critical applications and internal networks, using qualified testers with agreed rules of engagement, and retesting to confirm fixes. Auditors expect the test schedule, scope documents, reports and remediation tracking. CIS Control 18 covers penetration testing, and DORA requires threat-led penetration testing for certain financial entities. Cloud and identity configurations deserve testing alongside traditional infrastructure.\n\n**Common gaps.** Scopes are often narrowed to avoid embarrassing findings, and remediation is not verified. Testing tends to focus on infrastructure while business logic in applications goes untested. Tests are also sometimes timed only around audits rather than after significant changes.","Conduct penetration testing [Assignment: organization-defined frequency] on [Assignment: organization-defined system(s) or system components].\nDiscussion: Penetration testing is a specialized type of assessment conducted on systems or individual system components to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited by adversaries. Penetration testing goes beyond automated vulnerability scanning and is conducted by agents and teams with demonstrable skills and experience that include technical expertise in network, operating system, and\u002For application level security. Penetration testing can be used to validate vulnerabilities or determine the degree of penetration resistance of systems to adversaries within specified constraints. Such constraints include time, resources, and skills. Penetration testing attempts to duplicate the actions of adversaries and provides a more in-depth analysis of security- and privacy-related weaknesses or deficiencies. Penetration testing is especially important when organizations are transitioning from older technologies to newer technologies (e.g., transitioning from IPv4 to IPv6 network protocols).\n\nOrganizations can use the results of vulnerability analyses to support penetration testing activities. Penetration testing can be conducted internally or externally on the hardware, software, or firmware components of a system and can exercise both physical and technical controls. A standard method for penetration testing includes a pretest analysis based on full knowledge of the system, pretest identification of potential vulnerabilities based on the pretest analysis, and testing designed to determine the exploitability of vulnerabilities. All parties agree to the rules of engagement before commencing penetration testing scenarios. Organizations correlate the rules of engagement for the penetration tests with the tools, techniques, and procedures that are anticipated to be employed by adversaries. Penetration testing may result in the exposure of information that is protected by laws or regulations, to individuals conducting the testing. Rules of engagement, contracts, or other appropriate mechanisms can be used to communicate expectations for how to protect this information. Risk assessments guide the decisions on the level of independence required for the personnel conducting penetration testing.","From NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, a work of the US government in the public domain.","https:\u002F\u002Fcsrc.nist.gov\u002Fpubs\u002Fsp\u002F800\u002F53\u002Fr5\u002Fupd1\u002Ffinal","Open SP 800-53 at NIST",null,"2026-10-18T15:18:43.663+00:00",{"total":9,"list":19},[20,24,28,32,36,40,44,48,52,56,60,64],{"slug":21,"title":22,"published_at":23},"ai-worms-a-new-self-replicating-threat-on-the-horizon","AI Worms: A New Self-Replicating Threat on the Horizon","2026-10-13T22:21:28.999+00:00",{"slug":25,"title":26,"published_at":27},"agentic-pentesting-exposes-gaps-in-continuous-vulnerability-validation","Agentic Pentesting Exposes Gaps in Continuous Vulnerability Validation","2026-10-07T14:22:38.831+00:00",{"slug":29,"title":30,"published_at":31},"ai-agent-bypasses-sandbox-controls-via-dns-loophole","AI Agent Bypasses Sandbox Controls via DNS Loophole","2026-09-29T08:21:38.931+00:00",{"slug":33,"title":34,"published_at":35},"nvidia-launches-open-source-safety-platform-for-ai-agents","NVIDIA Launches Open-Source Safety Platform for AI Agents","2026-09-28T20:21:07.958+00:00",{"slug":37,"title":38,"published_at":39},"waf-bypass-enables-mass-exploitation-of-critical-oracle-peoplesoft-flaw","WAF Bypass Enables Mass Exploitation of Critical Oracle PeopleSoft Flaw","2026-09-26T20:22:28.554+00:00",{"slug":41,"title":42,"published_at":43},"autonomous-ai-hacking-exposes-legal-and-governance-gaps","Autonomous AI Hacking Exposes Legal and Governance Gaps","2026-09-24T22:21:14.466+00:00",{"slug":45,"title":46,"published_at":47},"process-parameter-poisoning-bypasses-edr-detection","Process Parameter Poisoning Bypasses EDR Detection","2026-09-23T22:20:42.313+00:00",{"slug":49,"title":50,"published_at":51},"ai-security-agents-need-rigorous-objective-evaluation-before-deployment","AI Security Agents Need Rigorous, Objective Evaluation Before Deployment","2026-09-23T19:21:46.139+00:00",{"slug":53,"title":54,"published_at":55},"ai-development-speed-outpaces-safety-controls","AI Development Speed Outpaces Safety Controls","2026-09-15T18:21:58.377+00:00",{"slug":57,"title":58,"published_at":59},"siloed-security-testing-leaves-organizations-blind-to-chained-attacks","Siloed Security Testing Leaves Organizations Blind to Chained Attacks","2026-09-15T14:22:46.622+00:00",{"slug":61,"title":62,"published_at":63},"ai-is-flooding-defenders-with-cves-prioritization-must-evolve","AI Is Flooding Defenders With CVEs — Prioritization Must Evolve","2026-09-14T14:22:57.099+00:00",{"slug":65,"title":66,"published_at":67},"microsofts-cloud-web-app-threat-matrix-highlights-evolving-attack-surfaces","Microsoft's Cloud Web App Threat Matrix Highlights Evolving Attack Surfaces","2026-09-10T00:20:38.931+00:00",[69,74,79,84,89,93],{"slug":70,"name":71,"problem":72,"stories":73},"ai-security","AI application security","Prompt injection, data leaks through AI tools and unapproved AI use get caught.",11,{"slug":75,"name":76,"problem":77,"stories":78},"endpoint-detection-response","Endpoint detection and response (EDR and XDR)","Malware and hands-on-keyboard attackers on laptops and servers get spotted and stopped.",8,{"slug":80,"name":81,"problem":82,"stories":83},"network-segmentation","Network segmentation and microsegmentation","One compromised machine can no longer reach everything else.",7,{"slug":85,"name":86,"problem":87,"stories":88},"breach-attack-simulation","Breach and attack simulation","You only find out whether your security tools stop an attack when a real attacker tries.",6,{"slug":90,"name":91,"problem":92,"stories":88},"vulnerability-management","Vulnerability scanning and prioritisation","You know which systems are vulnerable, and which ones to fix first.",{"slug":94,"name":95,"problem":96,"stories":97},"asset-inventory","Cyber asset inventory","You cannot patch, monitor or protect the devices, cloud resources and accounts you do not know you have.",4,[99,105,111,115,119,123,127,131],{"family":100,"item":101,"code":102,"title":103,"together":104},"cis","13","Control 13","Network Monitoring and Defense",18,{"family":106,"item":107,"code":108,"title":109,"together":110},"nist-ai-rmf","overview","AI RMF 1.0","AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0)",17,{"family":100,"item":112,"code":113,"title":114,"together":73},"12","Control 12","Network Infrastructure Management",{"family":116,"item":107,"code":117,"title":117,"together":118},"itil","ITIL",10,{"family":100,"item":120,"code":121,"title":8,"together":122},"18","Control 18",9,{"family":5,"item":124,"code":125,"title":126,"together":122},"sc-7","SC-7","Boundary Protection",{"family":100,"item":128,"code":129,"title":130,"together":78},"7","Control 7","Continuous Vulnerability Management",{"family":100,"item":132,"code":133,"title":134,"together":83},"4","Control 4","Secure Configuration of Enterprise Assets and Software"]