Which of the following processes seeks to exploit the vulnerabilities of a system by collecting the information related to system exposures?

The process that seeks to exploit the vulnerabilities of a system by collecting information related to system exposures is penetration testing. This method involves simulating real-world attacks on a system to identify and exploit vulnerabilities, ultimately demonstrating how an attacker could gain unauthorized access to information or functionality.

During penetration testing, security professionals leverage various tools and techniques to actively exploit known vulnerabilities, providing insights into how an attack could be executed. The goal of this testing is not just to find weaknesses but to exploit them to understand the potential impact on the organization’s security posture. This process helps in assessing the effectiveness of existing security controls and provides actionable recommendations for mitigating risks.

While dynamic application security testing focuses on identifying vulnerabilities within running applications, and vulnerability scanning systematically identifies weaknesses without exploiting them, penetration testing is unique in its approach of actively exploiting vulnerabilities to assess security defenses in a more practical context. Vulnerability assessment, on the other hand, generally encompasses a broader analysis of potential vulnerabilities without necessarily involving exploitation, making penetration testing the most fitting answer to the question asked.