NIST 800-53 r5 · Controls catalogue · Family CA
CA-8Penetration Testing
Conduct penetration testing {{ insert: param, ca-08_odp.01 }} on {{ insert: param, ca-08_odp.02 }}.
Last updated: 22 August 2026 07:11 UTC
Implementations targeting this control (0)
- No implementations targeting this control yet.
ATT&CK techniques this control mitigates (0)
- No ATT&CK techniques mapped to this control yet.
Weaknesses this control addresses (8)AI-assisted
CWEs ranked by how often they appear in real CVEs. The rationale describes how this control reduces exploitability of each weakness class.
| CWE | Name | CVEs | Why this control addresses it |
|---|---|---|---|
CWE-79 | Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') | 52,800+ | Penetration testing submits XSS payloads to web applications, detecting cross-site scripting flaws for subsequent remediation. |
CWE-89 | Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') | 24,000+ | Penetration testing uses SQL injection payloads against database interfaces, identifying and supporting fixes for SQL injection weaknesses. |
CWE-200 | Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor | 11,000+ | Penetration testing attempts to access or extract sensitive data, revealing exposure of sensitive information to unauthorized actors. |
CWE-284 | Improper Access Control | 6,900+ | Penetration testing simulates unauthorized access attempts, directly detecting and enabling remediation of improper access control weaknesses. |
CWE-287 | Improper Authentication | 5,200+ | Penetration testing probes authentication mechanisms for bypasses, allowing identification and fixing of improper authentication issues. |
CWE-918 | Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) | 3,600+ | Penetration testing attempts server-side requests to internal resources, identifying SSRF weaknesses for remediation. |
CWE-502 | Deserialization of Untrusted Data | 3,600+ | Penetration testing supplies malicious serialized objects, detecting unsafe deserialization and supporting corrective actions. |
CWE-611 | Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference | 1,500+ | Penetration testing includes XML external entity payloads, detecting XXE vulnerabilities and enabling their mitigation. |
Top CVEs where this control is the strongest mitigation
| CVE | Risk | CVSS | EPSS | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No CVEs annotated to this control yet — the per-CVE backfill is in progress. | ||||