What is the purpose of penetration testing?

Penetration testing is designed specifically to evaluate the security of a system by simulating an attack from malicious actors. The objective is to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited and to understand the effectiveness of the existing security measures. During a penetration test, ethical hackers attempt to breach the system's defenses in a controlled manner, providing organizations with insights into potential weaknesses before they can be used by a real attacker.

Through this process, organizations can proactively strengthen their security posture, ensuring they address the vulnerabilities discovered during the testing phase. This proactive approach helps in mitigating risks and enhancing the overall security framework of the systems.

The other options, while related to various aspects of security and software development, do not encapsulate the primary focus of penetration testing. Creating strong passwords is important for security, educating employees on security policies is essential for fostering a security-aware culture, and developing user-friendly software is crucial for user experience. However, none of these directly address the specific function of simulating attacks to evaluate system security, which is the core purpose of penetration testing.