Definition

What is Reverse Shell?

A type of remote shell session where the compromised target machine initiates an outbound network connection back to the attacker's system, circumventing inbound firewall rules that would block a traditional bind shell. Reverse shells are a standard post-exploitation technique in penetration testing used to demonstrate interactive command-line access to a compromised host. Their presence confirms that an attacker could achieve persistent, interactive control of the system.

Related terms

Remote Code Execution (RCE) →

A critical vulnerability class that allows an attacker to execute arbitrary commands or code on a target system from a remote location, typically without requiring physical access or prior authentication.

Payload →

The component of an attack that performs the attacker's intended malicious action after a vulnerability has been triggered.

Exploit →

A piece of software, command sequence, or technique that leverages a known vulnerability to cause unintended or unauthorized behavior in a target system.

Firewall →

A network security control that monitors and filters traffic between networks based on predefined security rules.

Put this into practice

Multi-step attack chain simulation →

See how Penetrify's autonomous AI agents find and validate this class of security issue in your application.