Nevertheless, many people fail to include key items in their penetration reports, significantly reducing their application’s effectiveness.

However, this will no longer be an issue after reading our ten essential items list. In fact, these suggestions will set you apart from the rest.

So, let’s examine the necessary components of the report one by one.

What Is Penetration Testing?

A penetration test reveals the vulnerabilities in the underlying network of a company. A security insight is presented or illustrated based on vulnerability testing results.  A penetration/vulnerability test can take several forms based on the need and request of the company.

The penetration testing scope includes external penetration testing, internal penetration testing, segmentation testing, white box, gray box, and black box penetration testing.

What Is A Penetration Testing Report?

Penetration test reports identify and focus on the vulnerabilities the pen testing team identified during engagements. Reports contain information on vulnerabilities, impacts, root causes, and mitigations for every vulnerability issue.

Stages Of Penetration Testing Report Generation

1. Report planning: This begins with a brief overview of pen testing, its benefits, and purpose. The report also includes the testing process’s duration, classification, identification, and distribution of the results.

2. Data gathering: It is essential that the pen tester gathers accurate information on each step of the investigation. All the details must be collected and documented during the testing phase, including various tools used, threats assessed, and test results.

3. Creating an initial draft: The initial draft is the first step in deploying, processing, and concluding all activities. It is essential to be precise with the initial draft’s findings and observations regarding security.

4. Revision and finalization: Drafters must review and recheck the initially drafted information to ensure it is accurate. Following that, it must be passed through the other technical hands of the experts who assisted with the process.

Also Read – Best Practices for Mobile App Penetration Testing

12 Items An Effective Penetration Report Should Have

1. Objective

Each client has a particular set of needs. This section aims to define the means and actions that can be taken to meet that need.

2. Scope

An organization’s “scope” comprises the applications, users, networks, devices, accounts, and other assets that must be tested to meet its objectives.

Incorrectly defined objectives, time constraints, or budget constraints deprive scope. Conversely, ‘over scoping’ can also cause challenges, such as overspending or disproportionate impact on operations. So, keeping these statements in mind is the best way to make scope.

3. Limitations

This section generally addresses threats posed by unauthorized persons who wish to gain forbidden access to data or systems within an organization.

4. Executive Summary

An executive summary should give a very brief overview of the major findings that you discovered during your work on the application. There should be no more than two pages in this document or sub-report, and it should only cover the highlights of the penetration test.

It is crucial to note that the executive summary does not provide technical information or related terminology.

The report needs to be written in a way that is understandable to board members and nontechnical management, so they can comprehend your findings and the concerns you discovered with the network and systems as a result of your investigation.

The executive summary also must describe how these vulnerabilities and exploits will likely impact the business if discovered.

It is recommended that the executive summary include links and references to the detailed report so that interested parties can learn more about the technical nature of the findings.

Keep in mind that the executive summary should be very brief and written at a high level. The scope and purpose of the test should also be outlined, along with a risk rating for the organization.

Also Read – Penetration Testing Vs. Vulnerability Scanning: Know The Difference

5. Penetration Testing Team

Clients often need the names and contact information of the individuals who actually participated in a penetration test for security compliance reasons. The information may include name, email address, and internal phone number.

Whether or not it’s a compliance requirement, it provides organizations with an easier way to search for the tester’s information. Next time ensure that your penetration testing consulting services provider includes this information while preparing a report.

6. Penetration Testing Tools Used

Some stakeholders won’t be interested in learning about all the tools you use. Still, the IT team or developers may need to understand the tools used as they begin to investigate and remediate some of the findings. The organization will reproduce the results more quickly if they can understand the tools used to conduct the original research.

7. Technical Risk Factors

A description of security vulnerabilities must include technical details. Otherwise, IT staffers may not have the necessary direction in developing effective solutions; however, this information must be contextualized and clarified so that all readers understand the nature of these risks.

In the healthcare sector, for instance, files uploaded through its portal may be susceptible to an attack; however, explaining the technical process by which an attack could occur without mentioning things like remotely executing “arbitrary code” is insufficient to explain the security flaw.

The report should always include language explaining what this means to the business (for example, “this means hackers will be able to view the medical records of any user if they act as administrators). In other words, the explanation of business impact plays a crucial role in the report’s usefulness.

Note: Your report explanation of the vulnerability(s) and a walk-through allows the team to replicate the vulnerability and gain a deeper understanding of it.

Also Read – 5 Advanced Penetration Testing Techniques Every QA Professional Should Know

8. Vulnerability Impacts

A risk can be divided into two categories: likelihood and potential impact. The likelihood is a standard component of most assessment reports. Although the odds of exploitation are important, but they are insufficient to determine the risk level.

Executives need to be able to understand how any vulnerability, no matter where it exists, will affect their application. So, give an explanation of how you discovered the vulnerabilities, how a hacker could exploit them, and how these vulnerabilities could be controlled.

Make sure the vulnerability part of your report is short and preferably written in a way that security professionals, developers, and nontechnical roles can understand.

All in all, an effective report should factor in both the likelihood and potential impact of the exploitation to create a comprehensive picture of the risk.

9. Vulnerability Remediation Options

A report should provide remediation steps or options after discussing vulnerabilities and their potential impacts. Understanding the steps and procedures involved with the remediation plan can assist organizations in knowing how to implement it.

Remember, the best penetration testing companies constantly seek to find solutions that provide the most value when it comes to penetration testing cost and control. Therefore, the importance of this point cannot be overstated.

10. Operated Methodologies

There is great importance in understanding the methodology employed in penetration testing, particularly for your IT staff members.

Testing can be carried out manually or automatically as a starting point.

A manual penetration test, as the name implies, involves a human being, specifically an expert engineer tasked with carrying out the test.

Generally, manual testing is characterized by methods such as data collection, vulnerability assessment, actual exploits (in which the tester actually launches an attack to expose vulnerabilities), and presenting the results of the testing.

Depending on the type of manual testing, it can be focused—on testing for specific vulnerabilities or for a wide range of issues.

Compared to manual testing, automated penetration testing is faster, more effective, requires less time, and, in general, is more reliable.  Automated testing can be done using several renowned standards or internally developed standards.

Among the available measures are the following:

• OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project)
• OSSTMM (Open Source Security Testing Methodology Manual)
• NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)

Also Read – Key Stages of Penetration Testing

11. Images

By using images in your pen test report, you can provide additional context to what is being reported, making it easier for you to follow along. Furthermore, they can also be helpful when an issue cannot be reproduced in a controlled environment.

It is possible to explain a problem without images in some cases adequately. For example, if the finding can be verified using a command-line tool, it should be included in the output.

Other times, a browser or graphical testing tool visually represents what’s happening. By doing so, you can quickly draw attention to what is being described.

12. Links To References

Occasionally, you may want to dig deeper into the technical details and remediation recommendations in your pen test report to understand better the vulnerability than what is provided in the report.

Therefore, excellent penetration testing service providers will always reference trusted third-party sources like OWASP or NIST in their report.

What is the significance of penetration testing report?

A penetration test report is an important document that should be provided after a penetration test has been performed for your organization.

Penetration testing services in UK deliver this report as their main deliverable. You can use it to understand what was reported and how to resolve the problems. You can change your security systems meaningfully based on the details it provides.

Remember finding a penetration testing service or company like KiwiQA that can provide you with the most accurate report is essential.

Also Read – Security Testing vs. Penetration Testing

Extra Tip

A pilot’s job doesn’t end when they land an airliner. Because they must still navigate the many taxiways and park safely at the gate. The same holds for your pen test reports. Just because they’re done doesn’t mean you can switch them off completely. You still need to deliver the report to the client securely.

It is probably best to distribute electronic documents using public key cryptography, but it is not always possible. In that case, a strong key must be transmitted out of the band if symmetric encryption is used. There should never be an unencrypted transmission of a report.

Even though it all seems like common sense, many still fail when it comes to implementing it. It is, therefore, vital that you make this a habit.

Final Words

We hope that by now, you have gained a better understanding of what penetration reports are and how they work.

Armed with this information at your disposal, you will be able to impress your organization. Hence, make sure you always include these points in your reports.

From personal emails and various social media accounts to password reset pages and even bank account websites and payment gateways – there are all sorts of systems that we use regularly that are vulnerable.  As a result, you must understand penetration testing techniques to prevent future threats against your organization. Furthermore, prefer going with a penetration testing company with professional experience.

What is Penetration Testing?

Penetration testing evaluates the security of an organization’s computer systems by simulating attacks against them. These attacks can be conducted using various methods, including automated tools and manual techniques.

By identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities in an organization’s systems, penetration testers can help to identify and fix security issues before they become exploited. Penetration testing can be used to evaluate the security of web applications, network devices, and other systems.

When performing a penetration test, it is essential to remember that not every system is equal. Systems that are not connected to the internet or those that are heavily protected may not be as vulnerable as online and exposed systems. Additionally, penetration tests should be tailored to the organization’s specific needs.

Also Read – Best Practices for Mobile App Penetration Testing

Stages Of Penetration Testing

Penetration testing has a clearly defined procedure that has been logically divided into five stages to get the optimum results. Let us take a closer look at each of them:

1. Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance is the first phase of penetration testing. It entails scouting the target environment for vulnerabilities. This can be done manually by reviewing publicly available information or using automated tools such as Nmap and Spiderfoot.

Collecting as much information about your target as possible during reconnaissance is essential. This includes identifying its network topology, assessing its security controls, and gathering any sensitive data that may be present. You should also research the target’s software and hardware vendors to see if there are any known vulnerabilities in their products.

Once you have gathered all the information you need, it is time to develop your attack plan. This will involve determining which vulnerabilities you want to exploit, understanding the victim’s environment, and developing a strategy to exploit them.

2. Scanning

Scanning is carried out to provide insight into how an application will react to different threats. This is typically done using a combination of automated and manual methods.

Automated methods of scanning include using static analysis tools to identify known malicious files or scripts. In contrast, manual methods involve looking at the code itself for any clues as to how the application might be vulnerable. By understanding how the application responds to various attacks, security teams can better defend against them.

3. Vulnerability Assessment

Thirdly, the tester investigates potential vulnerabilities and determines whether they can be exploited using the information collected during reconnaissance and scanning. This can include searching for known vulnerabilities, testing for common exploits, and reviewing security policies and procedures.

The tester will also try to determine whether any of these vulnerabilities could be exploited to gain access to sensitive data or systems. Once the severity of each vulnerability has been determined, the tester will then attempt to exploit them to see if they are actually exploitable.

Also Read – Penetration Testing Vs. Vulnerability Scanning: Know The Difference

4. Exploitation

During this penetration testing phase, a tester exploits vulnerabilities discovered in the target system. Once access is gained, the tester can probe for sensitive data or exploit previously identified security flaws to gain further access or privilege escalation. This stage is often tricky because firewalls and other security measures protect many systems. However, with the correct tools and techniques, it is possible to bypass these defenses and gain access to systems on which sensitive information is stored.

5. Reporting

The penetration tester’s final report is the culmination of their hard work. After completing the exploitation phase of the test, they produce a detailed report documenting all their findings. This report can be used to fix vulnerabilities that were found during the test. The penetration tester also considers any feedback they received from the business or management during the test. This feedback can help them improve their methods in future tests.

Our journey through these stages teaches us the importance of choosing the right penetration testing vendor. So do your research and pick up penetration testing services wisely.

Top 5 Advanced Penetration Techniques

Penetration testers may spend up to 40 hours of their workday just planning, preparing, and executing their tasks. Luckily, these professionals can use a variety of tools and advance techniques that help them reduce time spent in planning and repetitive tasks, so they have more time for demanding tasks such as testing.

Here are five advanced penetration testing techniques every QA professional should know.

1. Blind Test

Imagine you are a security officer for an organization with its own internal application. You have been told that your business is one of the candidates for a client’s upcoming application assault. What precautions would you take to ensure everything is safe from the attack? One way to do this is by conducting a blind test.

Blind testing is a process where testers are not given any specific information about the application they are testing other than the name of organization they are aiming for. Using it, security personnel can get a realistic idea of what it is like to experience an application attack.

One of the most common uses for blind testing is during the development phase of an application. During this phase, it is vital to test various scenarios and see how the application responds. However, it is also important to keep secret which scenario was tested and which wasn’t. This way, if a bug is discovered in one of the tests, it can be fixed without worrying about revealing confidential information.

Blind testing can also be used during the security assessment phase. By not knowing which applications are being tested, security personnel can get a more realistic picture of an attack unfolding. This allows them to make better decisions about protecting the enterprise against potential attacks.

Overall, blind testing is an essential part of any development or security process. It allows developers and security personnel to test their applications in a safe and secure environment without fear of revealing confidential information.

2. Double-Blind Test

Double-blind tests do not reveal the actual attack to the security personnel. Defenses won’t have time to be bolstered before an attack. This type of test results can help organizations determine how well their security measures are working and which needs improvement. It can also help identify potential weaknesses in the security system and point out areas where training or reinforcement may be necessary.

To simulate an attack, researchers create a digitally signed executable file that looks like it was from one of their known virus families. This file then is further sent to a group of unsuspecting security analysts and asked to investigate and determine whether or not it is dangerous.

By learning about attacks beforehand, security personnel can better prepare themselves for when something does actually happen.

Also Read – How To Perform Penetration Testing For E-Commerce Applications?

3. Black-Box Testing

Black-Box testing aims at an organization’s assets that are perceptible to the public online. An attacker can exploit a vulnerability to gain access to your data or systems by exploiting these assets.

One common attack vector used in external penetration tests is reconnaissance: attackers use tools such as Google Street View or Bing Maps to map out the layout of the target’s buildings and look for vulnerable points that could be exploited later on.

They may also scout out potential targets by using information leaked from previous attacks, such as passwords or user names. Once attackers have identified potential targets, they will try to exploit any vulnerabilities they find.

Some of the most common attacks used in external penetration tests include SQL injections, buffer overflows, and cross-site scripting. Attackers can gain access to sensitive data or systems by attacking these vulnerabilities.

External penetration tests or Black Box testing are essential to ensure that your team assets are protected from attack. By testing for vulnerabilities and exploiting them if necessary, testers can identify and fix any security issues before an attacker can exploit them.

4. White-Box Testing

White-box testing allows developers to understand how an application behaves under normal conditions and when it’s subjected to unexpected or malicious behavior. This information can be used to fix problems before they become widespread and protect users from potential security threats.

There are several different tools and techniques that can be used for white-box testing. One popular approach is functional testing, which tests an application’s functionality by executing specific commands or scripts inside the application.

Another common technique is error detection and reporting, which monitors the application for strange or unexpected behavior and alerts developers when something goes wrong.

Also Read – Security Testing vs. Penetration Testing

5. Gray-Box Testing

A gray-box test is an innovative way to assess your security posture of the IT infrastructure. It allows testers to mimic realistic attacks while also providing flexibility and control over the environment and data. This type of testing is often used to evaluate an organization’s security posture before implementing more invasive techniques.

Gray-box testing is often less intrusive than traditional tests and can be used to assess a wide range of security features and vulnerabilities. This kind of testing is generally performed using a variety of tools and techniques. Some standard tools include web browsers, network probes, vulnerability scanners, and intrusion detection systems (IDSs). Gray-box tests can be executed on either live systems or simulated systems.

To Wrap Up!

With continuous updates to software and hardware, security teams must be on their toes. As a quality assurance professional, it is your job to protect the assets by testing the software and applications that are released to the public. However, this doesn’t mean you should blindly trust any software that comes across your desk. In fact, there are some advanced penetration testing techniques that you should be familiar with to uncover any security vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.

Understanding these techniques ensures that your organization remains secure while letting customers access your products and services. Therefore, make sure you check out the above-mentioned penetration techniques to see how they can help secure your business.

There are a number of mobile applications where users enter personal details and perform financial transactions using modes like credit cards, debit cards, online banking, etc. Any security loophole in the app can be exploited by malicious actors to gain access to the crucial private information that is lying in the mobile device.

Security lapses (or breaches) in the mobile app can be prevented or mitigated with exhaustive penetration testing. Mobile app security is extremely critical from a user’s point of view. Hence, app developers as well as enterprises are leveraging pentesting (or penetration testing) to test the IT infrastructure, database security, web application, and other aspects related to the mobile app.

On the whole, mobile pentesting must be considered as an integral part of the overall app security plan. It is recommended to partner with a proven penetration testing company in case you do not have in-house expertise in mobile app pentesting. In this blog, we will deep dive into the essential aspects of devising a top-notch mobile app pentesting strategy.

What is Mobile App Penetration Testing?

As the name indicates, mobile app penetration testing emulates a real-world attack on the app to detect the security vulnerabilities in the app. The mobile app pentesting strategy is aimed to detect issues on the front-end, back-end (or databases), binary compile problems, and sensitive data storage.

Just imagine the gravity of the damage in scenarios where sensitive data (e.g. username, password, etc.) is stored as normal strings in the back-end. Hackers could also sell this sensitive data on the dark web marketplace^[2]. Such a situation can be avoided by making mobile app pentesting a regular feature in the big scheme of things.

Pen testers are expected to have in-depth knowledge about mobile app environments so that they can create test scenarios that help identify security vulnerabilities in the app. A scalable mobile app penetration testing strategy includes both manual as well as the automated approach to testing.

Also Read – Things You Should Know About Penetration Testing

Mobile App Penetration Testing Best Practices

Now that we have touched upon the important concepts of pentesting of mobile applications, let me cover the best practices for pentesting.

1. Create detailed pentesting plan

Before you can start running penetration tests on the mobile application, it is essential to formulate a plan that outlines the following:

• Pentesting tools
• Test scenarios
• Prioritization of the test scenarios
• Insights into mobile app environments

Some practices of mobile app testing in one mobile OS environment (e.g. iOS) can be replicated with ease in other environments. The practices outlined in OWASP cheat sheet is a good starting point for creating a formidable mobile app pentesting plan.

2. Create testing environments

Like any other form of testing, you need to focus on creating a testing environment that is suited for running penetration tests. There are tools that let you jailbreak the iPhone so penetration tests can be performed on iOS applications.

Android and iOS penetration testing must be considered an integral part of the application’s security audit. Improper platform usage, insecure authentication,  insecure authorization, code tampering, etc. are some of the vulnerabilities that must be looked into when running pen tests on mobile apps.

3. Choose the ideal pentesting tools

There are a number of options when it comes to penetration testing of mobile applications. You will have the option of premium as well as open-source tools. The choice of tool purely depends on the testing environment.

Wireshark, OWASP ZAP, TCPDump, AppCrack, and Apktool are some of the most popular mobile app penetration testing tools. Along with the project requirements, you must also have a detailed look at the in-house expertise with pentesting tools.

Onboarding an experienced penetration testing services company like KiwiQA can be highly beneficial in such cases, as you can make a well-informed choice when choosing pentesting tools.

4. Prioritize test scenarios

The saying ‘one size fits all’ approach does not apply to mobile app pentesting. Test scenarios being developed for pentesting of e-commerce applications can be drastically different from that of a fintech application.

Once the team has designed the test scenarios, it is important to categorize the scenarios in different buckets. You should run pentest for the test scenarios that are of a higher priority. Consider scenarios involving sensitive customer data, financial transactions, etc. on a higher priority in the pentesting plan.

Also Read – How To Perform Penetration Testing For E-Commerce Applications?

5. Launch server attacks

Irrespective of whether you are testing an iOS app or an Android app, the app will be downloaded from the server. Apart from the official iOS store and Playstore, companies leverage the use of app distribution platforms to improve the app’s reach.

As a party of server attacks, you must check about unauthorized and authorized file uploads. Both Playstore and iOS app stores have authentication mechanisms in place between the smartphone and the server. These must be checked thoroughly to ensure that no vulnerabilities exist when there is communication between the phone and the corresponding server (from where the app is downloaded).

6. Launch network attacks

Intercepting the network traffic must be considered on priority in the mobile app pentesting strategy. Network sniffers must be used extensively for sniffing (or monitoring) the network traffic for vital information like protocol used, monitoring network requests & data packets, and more.

It is important to ensure that the data is secure, whether it is in transit or in rest. As a part of network attacks, the pentesting team must examine the authentication, authorization, and session management mechanisms.

Wireshark, Windump, TCPDump, Auvik, and NetworkMiner are some of the most widely used network sniffing tools.

Also Read – Key Stages of Penetration Testing

7. Perform file analysis at various levels

Most applications make use of the OAuth mechanism along with other third-party APIs. As a part of mobile app penetration testing, you have to ensure that sensitive data is not stored on third-party servers.

Frequent checking of buffer overflows and the potential of SQL-based injection attacks must be considered when conducting analysis at binary and file levels.

Conclusion

Penetration testing is critical in today’s times since it ensures that the app is secure from an end-user’s perspective. In this blog, I covered the best practices for pentesting of mobile applications. As mentioned earlier, you should choose the right tools for executing the pentesting strategy.

Many mobile app developers and enterprises prefer to partner with a company like KiwiQA that pioneers in offering penetration testing services. Rather than building an in-house team from scratch, it is recommended to onboard an experienced partner to execute mobile app pentesting strategy at a faster pace.