What to Expect in a Sample Penetration Testing Report

A penetration testing report provides a detailed breakdown of findings from a security assessment, guiding organizations on vulnerabilities found and remediation steps. Understanding a sample penetration testing report structure can help you evaluate a tester’s thoroughness and the actionable insights provided. Here’s what a typical report includes, section by section, to ensure clarity and usability.

Key Sections of a Sample Penetration Testing Report

A comprehensive penetration testing report is divided into several essential sections, each serving a distinct purpose. Below are the standard components you can expect in a well-prepared report:

1. Executive Summary

The Executive Summary is an overview designed for stakeholders who may not have a technical background. It highlights:

• Objectives: The goals of the penetration test, such as identifying security weaknesses, evaluating system defenses, and testing compliance.
• Scope: What was tested, such as networks, web applications, APIs, or specific databases.
• High-Level Findings: A summary of the most critical vulnerabilities discovered, risk level (high, medium, low), and potential business impact.
• Overall Security Rating: An overall risk assessment rating to quickly communicate the security posture of the organization.

Example: “This penetration test revealed four high-severity vulnerabilities and three medium-severity vulnerabilities, exposing critical risks to network integrity and data confidentiality.”

2. Methodology

This section describes the methodology used in the penetration test, offering insight into the testing standards and frameworks followed, such as:

• OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) for web applications.
• NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) guidelines for infrastructure testing.
• PTES (Penetration Testing Execution Standard) for structured testing processes.

The methodology overview builds trust in the findings, showing that best practices were followed.

Example: “Testing adhered to the OWASP framework, focusing on identifying vulnerabilities related to injection, broken authentication, and exposure of sensitive data.”

3. Scope of Work

The Scope of Work defines the exact boundaries of the testing. This ensures clarity on what was tested and prevents any misunderstandings about the report’s focus. Scope often includes:

• Assets Tested: Networks, servers, applications, or other digital assets.
• Testing Type: Black box, gray box, or white box testing approaches.
• In-Scope vs. Out-of-Scope: Items that were specifically excluded from testing, such as third-party services or specific applications.

Example: “The assessment was conducted using a gray box approach, focusing on internal network resources, company web applications, and employee endpoints.”

4. Detailed Findings and Vulnerabilities

This section is the heart of the penetration testing report. Each vulnerability is listed with in-depth details, including:

• Vulnerability Description: Explanation of the issue.
• Severity Rating: A scale, typically from “low” to “critical,” indicating risk level.
• Evidence: Screenshots, logs, or code samples showing proof of the vulnerability.
• Affected Assets: Identification of systems or applications impacted.
• Likelihood and Impact: Assessment of how likely it is that an attacker could exploit this vulnerability and its potential impact.

Example Finding:

• Vulnerability: SQL Injection in User Login Form
  • Severity: High
  • Description: Input fields in the login form allow for SQL injection attacks.
  • Evidence: Database error logs provided in Appendix A.
  • Affected Systems: Corporate Web Application

5. Risk Assessment and Prioritization

This section provides a risk assessment matrix to prioritize the discovered vulnerabilities. It often includes:

• Risk Rating Scale: Categorizing vulnerabilities by severity (Critical, High, Medium, Low).
• Priority Recommendations: A guide on which issues to address first based on potential impact and ease of exploitation.

This prioritization helps IT teams allocate resources effectively to mitigate the highest risks first.

6. Remediation Recommendations

For each vulnerability, the report offers remediation steps to address and fix the issue. Recommendations may include:

• Immediate Fixes: Quick solutions or workarounds to reduce immediate risk.
• Long-Term Recommendations: Suggested changes to prevent similar vulnerabilities in the future, such as improved security configurations or coding practices.
• Patch and Update Recommendations: Specific patches or software updates if available.

Example:

• Vulnerability: Outdated SSL/TLS Protocols
  • Remediation: Upgrade to TLS 1.3 and disable weak ciphers.

7. Tools and Techniques Used

An effective report includes a list of tools and techniques used in the test, which gives the technical team insight into how findings were derived. Common tools mentioned might include:

• Nmap for network scanning
• Burp Suite for web application testing
• Metasploit for exploitation testing

This section shows the client the thoroughness of the testing process.

8. Appendices and Supporting Evidence

The appendices section is where supporting documents are stored. It often includes:

• Screenshots of test results
• Error Logs: Evidence of vulnerabilities
• References to any standards or frameworks used for reporting and testing

This additional documentation helps technical teams verify findings and guides them in reproducing or further investigating issues.

Conclusion

A sample penetration testing report provides a structured, comprehensive overview of vulnerabilities within a system, along with actionable insights to improve security. By understanding the typical sections in a report, organizations can evaluate the quality of their penetration testing provider and ensure that they receive detailed, usable information to guide their security improvements.