attack vector
termsecurityhacking
The specific path or means by which an attacker reaches and compromises a target.
Phishing email, exposed RDP, a vulnerable dependency, a USB drop, a compromised supplier: each is a vector, and the collection of all of them is the attack surface. The distinction that matters operationally is vector versus vulnerability, since the vector is the route in and the vulnerability is the flaw it exploits on arrival. Reducing vectors, closing unused paths, is often cheaper than patching every flaw behind them, which is why attack-surface reduction is a control in its own right.
Also known as: vector, threat vector, initial access vector