What term refers to weaknesses in software that could be triggered accidentally or exploited by an attacker to perform unauthorized actions?

What term refers to weaknesses in software that could be triggered accidentally or exploited by an attacker to perform unauthorized actions?

• A. Threat vector
• B. Vulnerable software
• C. Unsecure network
• D. Lure

Answer: (B)

A weakness in software that could be triggered accidentally or exploited by an attacker to perform unauthorized actions is called a vulnerability. It refers to flaws in design, implementation, or configuration that, if abused, could compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Vulnerabilities are what attackers exploit, or what might be unintentionally activated, to gain unauthorized access or perform unauthorized actions. This differs from a threat vector, which is the path or method an attacker uses to reach and exploit a vulnerability. An unsecure network describes insecure communication conditions, not the software flaw itself, and a lure isn’t relevant to this concept. For example, improper input validation can lead to code execution, illustrating how a vulnerability enables unauthorized actions.

A weakness in software that could be triggered accidentally or exploited by an attacker to perform unauthorized actions is called a vulnerability. It refers to flaws in design, implementation, or configuration that, if abused, could compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Vulnerabilities are what attackers exploit, or what might be unintentionally activated, to gain unauthorized access or perform unauthorized actions. This differs from a threat vector, which is the path or method an attacker uses to reach and exploit a vulnerability. An unsecure network describes insecure communication conditions, not the software flaw itself, and a lure isn’t relevant to this concept. For example, improper input validation can lead to code execution, illustrating how a vulnerability enables unauthorized actions.