What is the purpose of penetration testing?

Penetration testing, also known as ethical hacking, primarily aims to simulate attacks on a system to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses that could be exploited by malicious actors. This process involves testing the security of a system, network, or application in a controlled environment, allowing organizations to understand their security posture and address potential risks before they can be exploited in real-world scenarios. By mimicking the tactics, techniques, and procedures used by attackers, penetration testers provide valuable insights that help improve an organization's cybersecurity defenses and resilience against actual threats.

The other options focus on aspects unrelated to cybersecurity. Identifying new markets pertains to business development, measuring user satisfaction involves customer service and product management, and increasing system performance relates to engineering and optimization rather than security testing.