An
exploit (from the English verb
to exploit, meaning "using something to one’s own advantage") is a piece of
software, a chunk of data, or a sequence of commands that takes advantage of a
bug or
vulnerability in order to cause unintended or unanticipated behavior to occur on computer software, hardware, or something electronic (usually computerized). Such behavior frequently includes things like gaining control of a computer system, allowing
privilege escalation, or a
denial-of-service attack.