Exploit

An exploit is a piece of software, code, or technique that takes advantage of a vulnerability to cause unintended behavior in a system. Exploits can be used for legitimate security testing or malicious attacks. They are categorized as local (requiring prior access), remote (exploitable over a network), or client-side (targeting user applications). Security researchers develop exploits to demonstrate vulnerabilities and test defenses. The responsible disclosure process ensures vendors can patch vulnerabilities before exploits become widely available.