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How can you ensure that your penetration testing report is accurate?

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Penetration testing is a vital process for assessing the security posture of your IT systems and networks. However, the quality and value of your penetration testing report depends on how accurate, comprehensive, and clear it is. In this article, you will learn some tips and best practices for ensuring that your penetration testing report is accurate and meets the expectations of your stakeholders.

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Sumit Devgan

Chief Product & Operations Officer at Nexus Ocean | Driving Maritime Tech Innovation & Client Excellence
Sumit Sharma CISSP?

Leader/Security Architect | Cyber Security Manager at Singapore | CISSP | CDPSE | ZIA | ZPA | ITILv4 | Ex- VOIS | Ex-…

1 Define the scope and objectives

Before you start your penetration testing, you need to define the scope and objectives of your project. This will help you avoid any misunderstandings or conflicts with your client, management, or other parties involved. You should also document the scope and objectives in a formal agreement or contract that specifies the boundaries, limitations, and expectations of your penetration testing. This will serve as a reference and a guideline for your report.

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2 Follow a standard methodology

To ensure that your penetration testing report is accurate and consistent, you should follow a standard methodology that covers the main phases of penetration testing: planning, reconnaissance, scanning, exploitation, post-exploitation, and reporting. You should also use reliable and up-to-date tools and techniques that are appropriate for your target environment and scope. You should also document your methodology, tools, and techniques in your report, so that your readers can understand how you conducted your penetration testing and verify your findings.

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Sumit Devgan

Chief Product & Operations Officer at Nexus Ocean | Driving Maritime Tech Innovation & Client Excellence
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Following a standard methodology such as PTES or OWASP ensures comprehensive coverage and repeatability in penetration testing. It's a bare minimum requirement. Transparency in the methods used also builds trust in the report’s accuracy. Standard methodologies might not fully apply in scenarios with unique or proprietary systems, emerging technologies, or uncommon operational environments. Custom applications may require tailored testing procedures.

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3 Record your findings and evidence

As you perform your penetration testing, you should record your findings and evidence in a systematic and organized way. You should use screenshots, logs, code snippets, commands, outputs, and other forms of evidence to support your findings and demonstrate the impact and severity of the vulnerabilities and risks you identified. You should also use a consistent format and naming convention for your files and folders, so that you can easily locate and reference them in your report.

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4 Analyze and prioritize your findings

After you complete your penetration testing, you should analyze and prioritize your findings based on their impact, likelihood, and exploitability. You should also categorize your findings according to their type, such as configuration errors, design flaws, coding errors, or logical errors. You should also use a common vulnerability scoring system, such as CVSS, to assign a numerical score to each finding, so that you can rank them and communicate their severity in your report.

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5 Write a clear and concise report

The final step of your penetration testing is to write a clear and concise report that summarizes your findings, recommendations, and conclusions. You should use a professional and formal tone, and avoid any jargon, slang, or acronyms that your readers may not understand. You should also use a standard structure and format for your report, such as an executive summary, a technical summary, a detailed findings section, an appendix, and a glossary. You should also use charts, graphs, tables, and images to illustrate your findings and recommendations, and make your report more engaging and readable.

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Sumit Devgan

Chief Product & Operations Officer at Nexus Ocean | Driving Maritime Tech Innovation & Client Excellence
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This is more of generic advice, but pentest is a specific endeavour. The steps mentioned here lack emphasis on prioritizing findings based on "risk level" and "potential impact", which is crucial for stakeholders to allocate resources effectively. Moreover, it should highlight the importance of including a follow-up action plan and timelines for remediation, not just recommendations, to provide a clear path forward.

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6 Review and validate your report

Before you submit or present your report, you should review and validate your report for accuracy, completeness, and clarity. You should check your report for any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors, and use a tool such as Grammarly or Hemingway to improve your writing. You should also check your report for any factual, logical, or technical errors, and use a tool such as Nmap or Metasploit to verify your findings and evidence. You should also ask a colleague, a peer, or a mentor to review your report and provide feedback and suggestions for improvement.

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Sumit Devgan

Chief Product & Operations Officer at Nexus Ocean | Driving Maritime Tech Innovation & Client Excellence
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One time I had to learn pen testing as I received a vague 100-page report with more than 200 vulnerabilities. I learnt to understand test, validate and rectify each one of those. In the overall process, it's crucial to establish a post-report discussion or briefing with stakeholders to ensure comprehension and to plan actionable steps. Additionally, setting a timeline for re-testing to verify that vulnerabilities are remediated effectively is often overlooked but essential for a thorough security posture. It is of utmost importance to educate teams to follow best practices during development and deployment. Nip the problem in the bud rather than spending time, money and effort to fix it later.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Sumit Sharma CISSP?

Leader/Security Architect | Cyber Security Manager at Singapore | CISSP | CDPSE | ZIA | ZPA | ITILv4 | Ex- VOIS | Ex- Wipro | Ex- HCLite
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If you have right scope defined from senior management and you go in same direction as expected then we can say your PT can be effective. Also It is always effective after VA, then PT would be more effective.

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How can you ensure that your penetration testing report is accurate?

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1 Define the scope and objectives

2 Follow a standard methodology

3 Record your findings and evidence

4 Analyze and prioritize your findings

5 Write a clear and concise report

6 Review and validate your report

7 Here’s what else to consider

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