Pen Test Report

If your organization has invested in penetration testing, you likely have at least one pen test report on file. Despite the vast amount of important information in a pen test report, however, many such documents aren’t read more than once. Threat intelligence, can contextualize the information in a pen test report, making it more useful — and actionable — for your organization.

How Flare Helps with Pen Test Reports

How does Flare’s cybersecurity risk management software meet pen testing needs? 

Pen testers rely on threat intelligence to identify and prioritize existing vulnerabilities that need to be tested, learn about current threats, understand the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) that should be used during a test, and to create realistic attack scenarios. Flare’s cybersecurity risk management software continuously monitors and analyzes your digital assets across your attack surface so that testers better understand how you might be attacked, and by whom. 

What do you get with Flare’s Threat Exposure Management (TEM) platform? 

• Comprehensive threat intelligence: Flare’s TEM solution scans the clear and dark web, as well as Telegram channels to find leaks and vulnerabilities before cyber criminals do.
• A proactive security stance: By actively seeking out vulnerabilities, you can catch breaches and accidental data exposures early.
• Continuous monitoring of digital assets:  Automated cybersecurity risk management software gives you 24/7 coverage of your assets, so you will know as soon as a vulnerability is discovered without having to scan manually.

How can threat intelligence help with pen test reports? 

Threat intelligence adds an incredible amount of value to a pen test report. Rather than simply recording the results of a penetration test, a report written with the benefit of threat intelligence provides detailed information about current and emerging threats, TTPs used by real-world attackers, and any information that may have already been compromised. Threat intelligence provides important context,correlating discovered vulnerabilities with known threat actors and their associated campaigns. This information can help organizations understand the potential impact and urgency of addressing specific vulnerabilities.

Pen Test Reports: An Overview

What is a pen test? 

A pen test —or penetration test —  is a simulated cyberattack against an organization’s systems, networks, or applications. Pen tests are performed to identify security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious actors, and fix those vulnerabilities.

What is a pen test report? 

A penetration test report is the final product of a pen test: it’s a detailed document outlining the findings of the pen test, any vulnerabilities that were discovered, and recommendations to mitigate those risks. Often pen test reports are used as a roadmap for remediation of vulnerabilities. Additionally, such reports help organizations meet regulatory and industry compliance requirements by demonstrating that a thorough assessment has been conducted.

Are pen tests and red team exercises the same? 

While pen test and red teaming have similar objectives, there are differences between the two exercises. The biggest difference is scope. Pen testing is usually a more targeted exercise, focusing on known vulnerabilities. Red team tests are broader, testing known and seeking unknown vulnerabilities in an organization’s cyber defenses. In addition, red teaming is a lot more expensive, more focused on deception, and is typically for more mature security operations.

What are the components of a pen test report? 

A pen test report typically includes the following sections:

• An executive summary: An overview of the pen test’s objectives, scope, and high-level findings. 
• Scope and objectives: A detailed description of what was tested, including the systems, applications, networks, and any specific goals of the test.
• Methodology: An explanation of the methods and tools used during the pen test, including any frameworks or standards that were used.
• The test’s findings: A comprehensive list of vulnerabilities discovered during the test. Each finding typically includes an explanation of the vulnerability, its potential risk, examples (including screenshots or logs), and the vulnerability’s severity. 
• Recommendations: Suggested remediation steps for each finding, including how to fix the vulnerabilities and prevent future occurrences.
• Technical details: In-depth technical information on the vulnerabilities, including code snippets, configuration errors, or other technical evidence.
• A conclusion: A summary of the overall security posture of the tested systems, highlighting major risks and the effectiveness of existing security controls.
• Appendices: Additional information that supports the main report, such as detailed logs, additional screenshots, threat intelligence, or references to external documentation.

Why are Pen Test Reports Important in Today’s Cybersecurity Landscape? 

What should you expect from a penetration test report? 

Cyber threats are constantly changing. A strong pen test report should offer new, relevant, and actionable information about your organization’s vulnerabilities as well as how to remediate them. Its findings should be understandable for business stakeholders as well as for technical teams, so that everyone is aware of existing threats and able to make decisions accordingly.

How can a pen test report benefit your organization?

A penetration test report is a valuable resource that helps an organization understand its security vulnerabilities, prioritize remediation efforts, and enhance its overall security posture, ultimately reducing the risk of cyber attacks and improving resilience against potential threats. By categorizing vulnerabilities based on their severity, the report helps the organization prioritize remediation efforts, focusing on the most critical issues first.

What are the limitations of a penetration test report?

While a penetration test report provides valuable insights and benefits, there are some challenges associated with pen testing: 

• It’s a point-in-time assessment: A pen test doesn’t give you a continuous picture of your security. Instead, it’s a snapshot of your organization’s security posture at a specific point in time. New vulnerabilities may emerge, and system changes may introduce new risks after the test is completed.
• Limited scope: Because the scope of a penetration test is predefined, it may not cover all systems, applications, or networks within the organization. 
• You can’t know what you don’t know:  Penetration tests rely on known vulnerabilities and techniques. Zero-day vulnerabilities  and sophisticated attacks that exploit them may not be detected.
• Subjectivity: The effectiveness of a penetration test depends on the skill, experience, and creativity of the testers. Different testers might find different issues, and some vulnerabilities might go unnoticed.
• A focus on compliance: Some penetration tests may focus primarily on compliance requirements rather than comprehensive security assessments, potentially leaving some risks unaddressed.
• The evolving threat landscape: The cyber threat landscape is continuously evolving. A penetration test report may quickly become outdated as new attack techniques and vulnerabilities emerge.

Pen Test Reports and Flare

Flare provides the leading Threat Exposure Management (TEM) solution for organizations. Our technology constantly scans the online world, including the clear & dark web, to discover unknown events, automatically prioritize risks, and deliver actionable intelligence you can use instantly to improve security. Monitor threat intelligence unique to your organization with Flare. 

Our solution integrates into your security program in 30 minutes to provide your team with actionable intelligence and automated remediation for high-risk exposure. See it yourself with our free trial.