What is the primary purpose of penetration testing?

The primary purpose of penetration testing is to simulate cyberattacks to identify vulnerabilities in an organization's systems, networks, and applications. This proactive approach helps security teams understand potential threats and the effectiveness of existing security measures. By mimicking the actions of a malicious actor, penetration testers can assess how well the organization can defend against actual attacks, pinpoint weaknesses, and provide recommendations for remediation. This helps organizations strengthen their security posture and better protect their assets.

In contrast, options focused on software performance, user experience, or creating network diagrams do not align with the core objective of penetration testing. Evaluating software performance is more concerned with how well an application runs under stress, and enhancing user experience centers around improving usability and satisfaction for end-users. Similarly, creating network diagrams is a task related to network architecture and design, not to the assessment of security through simulated attacks.