What type of vulnerability assessment technique involves using exploit tools?

The chosen answer, penetration testing, is a technique specifically designed to evaluate a system's security by simulating real-world attacks using exploit tools. This assessment is conducted by ethical hackers who attempt to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in a controlled environment. The goal of penetration testing is not only to find these weaknesses but also to understand the potential impact of an exploit on the organization’s systems and data.

In contrast, a passive assessment involves monitoring and evaluating the security posture of a system without directly interacting with it or employing exploit tools. This means that vulnerabilities are identified through observation, network traffic analysis, and existing documentation rather than direct testing.

Active assessment also examines system vulnerabilities but typically includes probes and queries in addition to passive techniques. While it may involve some level of real-time interaction with the systems, it does not necessarily comprise the full exploitation of those vulnerabilities as seen in penetration testing.

Gap assessment focuses on identifying the differences between current security measures and best practices or regulatory requirements. It does not involve actively exploiting vulnerabilities but rather analyzes existing controls and compares them to accepted standards or frameworks.

Therefore, penetration testing stands out as the technique that specifically utilizes exploit tools to simulate attacks, providing a hands-on assessment of a system's vulnerabilities and their potential exploitation.