During the penetration test, the testers follow the same process used by attackers. - *Initial access* occurs when the attacker exploits a vulnerability to gain access to the organisation's network. - *Privilege escalation* uses hacking techniques to shift from the initial access gained by the attacker to more advanced privileges, such as root access on the same system. - *Pivoting, or lateral movement*, occurs as the attacker uses the initial system compromise to gain access to other systems on the target network. - *Attackers establish persistence* on compromised networks by installing backdoors and using other mechanisms that will allow them to regain access to the network, even if the initial vulnerability is patched. Penetration testers make use of many of the same tools used by real attackers as they perform their work. Exploitation frameworks, such as **Metasploit**, simplify the use of vulnerabilities by providing a modular approach to configuring and deploying vulnerability exploits.