To write a good penetration testing report, create a plan, gather information, and consider the target audience. Include a high-level summary and detailed account of problems encountered. Back up results with relevant information and create a draft before finalizing. Speak to both non-technical management and IT personnel in a concise executive summary and detailed report.
To write a good penetration testing report, there are several steps you may want to follow. The first stage of writing these reports is usually to create a plan and gather the necessary information, after which you may want to create a draft before finalizing it. To write the best report, there are also some important tips to consider. You should always think about your target audience when writing these reports, as it is important that the document conveys information in an understandable way. Keep your executive summary narrow and descriptive for senior management, but be sure to include thorough technical details in the body so information technology (IT) personnel are able to implement necessary changes to their security systems.
Penetration testing reports are often the most important aspect of the entire penetration testing process, due to the valuable information they can contain. Regardless of how well penetration tests are performed, they are effectively useless if the information collected is not conveyed effectively in a report. A good penetration test report should contain both a high-level summary of the test results and a detailed account of any problems encountered.
The first step to writing a good penetration testing report is to create a plan. This process can actually begin before you even begin the testing process, as your preliminary report can serve as guidelines for testing. You should create a concrete set of goals and make sure you identify them within the report. After the test has occurred, it is necessary to analyze the results and determine what specific information should be conveyed. Identify all problem areas that have been uncovered by penetration testing and consider ways your organization’s IT department could address them.
You should therefore gather all relevant information together, so you will be able to back up your results. It can also be helpful to include a history that identifies when and how the tests took place. You may then want to create a draft of the penetration test report, which allows you to refine it before sending the final version to the organization that ordered the test.
There are also a few factors to consider when writing a penetration testing report that can help you create an effective document. If your report will be read by both non-technical management and IT personnel responsible for implementing the changes, make sure you speak to both of these groups. A concise executive summary can outline all your findings for senior staff, while the IT department will benefit from a detailed report outlining identified weaknesses and suggesting potential solutions.
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