Penetration testing identifies vulnerabilities in your systems, but it’s the report that follows that truly matters.
It’s not enough to just know the vulnerabilities—the report provides essential guidance for taking action and strengthening your security posture.
This report, the culmination of the security assessment, not only details the issues found but also offers a roadmap for fixing them. Because without acting on these findings, your organization remains at risk.
What To Expect From A Penetration Testing Report?
A well-structured penetration testing report (usually provided by PTaaS platforms) is not just a collection of facts and figures; it’s a communication tool that bridges the gap between technical findings and actionable insights. When it comes to post-penetration testing reports, clarity and organization are paramount.
A clear structure makes it easier for decision-makers to quickly grasp the overall security posture and the most critical vulnerabilities. Technical details and remediation steps are clearly laid out, making it simple for IT teams to implement fixes without getting lost in jargon. Prioritization of vulnerabilities ensures that resources are allocated efficiently, focusing on the most urgent threats first.
The introductory sections should summarize the engagement. In a professional penetration testing report, the following elements are usually present:
- Objectives: A clear statement of what the test aimed to achieve.
- Approach: The type of assessment (e.g., white-box, black-box, gray-box) and the specific systems or applications tested.
- Distribution: A list of people who should receive the report and details about how the report will be managed and updated.
- Scope: A precise outline of what parts of the system or application were included in the test.
- Timeline: The exact dates when the test started and ended.
In essence, a well-structured report transforms complex technical data into a clear action plan. It empowers organizations to respond swiftly and effectively to security risks, ultimately strengthening their defenses and protecting their valuable assets.
Let’s take a closer look at the structure of a penetration testing report focusing on the elements most advantageous from a client’s perspective.
Anatomy of a Penetration Testing Report
A post-penetration test report isn’t just a list of vulnerabilities. It’s a structured roadmap designed to guide your organization towards improved security. This report, with its actionable steps, is crucial for reducing your vulnerability to security threats. Let’s break down the key components.
Executive Summary
The executive summary serves as the opening statement of your post-penetration testing report, providing a concise yet comprehensive overview for decision-makers and stakeholders who may not be technical experts. It should be clear, concise, and free of technical jargon.
Its purpose is to quickly convey the most critical information, allowing executives to grasp the overall security posture of the organization and make informed decisions about resource allocation and remediation efforts.
Key elements typically included in an executive summary:
- Overall Risk Level: High, medium, or low, based on the severity of vulnerabilities.
- Critical Findings: Summary of the most impactful vulnerabilities and their potential consequences.
- Recommendations: Prioritized, actionable steps to address vulnerabilities.
- Business Impact: Potential financial, operational, or reputational consequences if vulnerabilities are not fixed.
- Next Steps: Outline of further actions to enhance security posture (e.g., additional testing, training).
By providing this high-level overview, the executive summary empowers decision-makers to understand the key takeaways from the penetration test and prioritize actions that will have the most significant impact on mitigating risk and strengthening the organization’s cybersecurity resilience.
Technical Summary
The technical summary is the heart of the post-penetration testing report, providing a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the identified vulnerabilities for the IT and security teams. Unlike the high-level executive summary, this section delves into the technical intricacies of each vulnerability, equipping technical staff with the information they need to understand the underlying causes and devise effective remediation strategies.
Key elements typically included in a technical summary:
- Vulnerability Descriptions: Detailed explanations, including type, location, and potential impact.
- Proof of Concept (PoC): Demonstration of how the vulnerability can be exploited.
- Technical Details: In-depth information about the vulnerability’s root cause and affected components.
- Remediation Guidance: Specific, actionable recommendations for fixing each vulnerability.
- Risk Ratings: Severity assessment (critical, high, medium, low) to prioritize remediation efforts.
- Supporting Evidence: Screenshots, code snippets, etc., to validate findings.
Vulnerability Assessment
The Vulnerability Assessment section acts as a prioritized inventory of all vulnerabilities uncovered during the penetration test. It’s essentially a roadmap for your security team, highlighting the areas that require immediate attention and those that can be addressed later.
Key elements of a vulnerability assessment:
- Vulnerability ID: A unique identifier for each vulnerability, making it easier to track and reference.
- Description: A concise summary of the vulnerability, explaining what it is and how it could be exploited.
- Severity: A rating (critical, high, medium, low) indicating the potential impact and urgency of the vulnerability.
- CVSS Score: The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) score provides a standardized numerical representation of the vulnerability’s severity, facilitating objective comparison and prioritization.
- Affected Assets: The specific systems, applications, or components affected by the vulnerability.
- Remediation Effort: An estimate of the resources (time, personnel, budget) required to fix the vulnerability.
- Remediation Recommendations: Specific steps to take to mitigate or eliminate the vulnerability.
The prioritization aspect is also important. By ranking vulnerabilities based on their severity and potential impact, the report helps your team focus their limited resources on the most critical issues first. This ensures that the most pressing threats are addressed promptly, significantly reducing your organization’s overall risk exposure.
Exploitation Details
The exploitation details section of a penetration testing report takes you beyond the theoretical and into the realm of the practical. It demonstrates, in detail, how an attacker could exploit each identified vulnerability. This is not merely an academic exercise; it’s a crucial reality check that underscores the urgency of remediation.
Key elements of exploitation retails:
- Attack Scenario: Step-by-step demonstration of how the vulnerability could be exploited.
- Tools/Techniques: Specific methods an attacker might use.
- Impact: Potential consequences of successful exploitation (data loss, financial damage, etc.).
- Mitigating Factors: Existing security controls that might hinder an attack.
Remediation Recommendations
This section is where theory turns into action. It provides a clear, prioritized roadmap for addressing the vulnerabilities identified in the penetration test. It’s the “how-to” guide for bolstering your security posture.
Key elements of remediation recommendations:
- Prioritized Actions: Ranked by severity and impact.
- Multiple Solutions: Options tailored to your resources and risk tolerance.
- Detailed Guidance: Specific, actionable steps for fixing vulnerabilities.
- Implementation Timeline: Estimated timeframe for completing remediation.
How Can Siemba Pentest Help?
Pentesting is a proactive approach to cybersecurity that offers invaluable insights into your vulnerabilities. By learning from each test and implementing the recommended actions, you’re not just fixing problems; you’re building a stronger defense against future threats.
Siemba offers a Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) platform with advanced security testing capabilities, providing detailed insights into your web applications’ vulnerabilities, along with daily reports.
If you want to learn more about how Siemba’s security engineers can proactively help identify vulnerabilities in your organization before malicious actors can exploit them, contact our offensive security team today.
