ISC2 CISSP Practice Question

An external security assessment is performed by individuals or organizations from outside the target company who simulate real-world attacks without detailed insider knowledge of the systems. This approach provides a realistic evaluation of security controls from an outsider's perspective, similar to how actual attackers would approach the organization. External assessments help identify vulnerabilities in internet-facing systems and infrastructure that might not be apparent from inside the organization. This differs from internal assessments (performed by employees with extensive system knowledge), third-party assessments (which typically involve vendors or partners who may already have privileged access to systems), and location-based assessments which focus on where the systems are hosted rather than who performs the testing.