What is the difference between a vulnerability and an exploit in cybersecurity?

In cybersecurity, a vulnerability refers to a weakness or flaw in a system, application, or network that could be exploited by malicious actors. It is essentially a gap in security that could potentially be exploited to compromise the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the system.

On the other hand, an exploit is a piece of software, code, or technique that takes advantage of a specific vulnerability to carry out an attack. Exploits are used by hackers to breach a system, gain unauthorized access, or cause harm to the targeted system or data.

Therefore, the main difference between a vulnerability and an exploit is that a vulnerability is the security flaw itself, while an exploit is the means by which that flaw is leveraged to launch an attack.