A penetration testing report provides clear evidence of how your systems performed during testing and identifies cyber weaknesses that need to be fixed. A good report is not just a list of problems, but it is a complete guide to understanding and improving your organisation’s cyber security.
A penetration testing report will include:
- Executive summary
- Scope and objectives of penetration testing
- Methodology used during the testing
- Detailed findings and technical analysis
- Risk ratings and impact assessment
- Recommendations and guidance
- Supporting evidence and proof of concept
- Summary of overall security posture
Why is a Clear Penetration Testing Report Important?
The report is the main deliverable from a penetration test. It tells the story of what the testers did, what they found, and what it means for your business.
A clear, well-structured report helps both technical teams and business leaders make informed decisions.
Without it, even the best testing can lose its value. According to the UK Cyber Security Council, around 42% of small and medium-sized businesses that receive unclear or overly technical reports fail to fix critical issues within six months. This shows how important communication is in cyber security.
Furthermore, for many investors in the tech space, they need to see proof of a penetration test before or continuing to invest in a business.
1. Executive Summary in a Penetration Testing Report
Every penetration testing report should start with an executive summary. This section is written in plain language for managers and decision-makers.
It explains what was tested, the overall security posture, and the key findings without using technical jargon.
It should highlight the most serious risks, describe how they could affect the business, and outline the general steps needed to address them. The summary allows senior leaders to understand the results at a glance and prioritise the most urgent fixes.
2. The Scope and Objectives of Penetration Testing
The next section should define the scope and objectives of the pen test. This means explaining what systems, applications, or networks were included, and what was intentionally left out.
It also describes the type of testing carried out, such as external, internal, or web application testing, and whether it was black box, white box, or grey box.
This section ensures that everyone reading the report understands the boundaries of the assessment. It also helps prevent confusion later when comparing results or planning follow-up tests.
3. The Methodology Used During The Penetration Test
The methodology for penetration testing explains how the test was conducted. It outlines each phase of the process, such as reconnaissance, scanning, exploitation, and post-exploitation.
This level of detail helps readers see that the test followed a structured, professional approach.
Many UK testing companies base their methods on recognised frameworks such as OWASP or NCSC CHECK.
This section might also describe the tools and techniques used, though it should avoid revealing sensitive information that could be misused. The aim is to show transparency and professionalism.
4. Detailed Findings and Technical Analysis
The detailed findings section is the core of the report. Here, each vulnerability is listed and explained clearly. The tester will describe what the issue is, how it was discovered, and how it could be exploited by an attacker.
Each finding should include evidence such as screenshots or logs to prove that the vulnerability exists. This section is highly technical and written for IT teams who need to fix the issues. Each vulnerability should also be given a severity rating, such as critical, high, medium, or low, to help prioritise actions.
According to a study by TechUK, more than 60% of UK businesses use penetration testing reports to plan their cyber security budgets for the year ahead. This statistic highlights how valuable the findings section is for long-term planning and investment decisions.
5. Risk Ratings and Impact Assessment
A good penetration testing report does more than list vulnerabilities. It explains how each one could impact the business if left unpatched. The risk rating combines both the technical severity and the potential business impact.
For example, a minor technical flaw in an internal system might be low risk, while a small web vulnerability exposing customer data could be critical. This section helps non-technical readers understand what each issue means in real-world terms.
6. Recommendations and Guidance
After identifying the issues, the report should provide clear, practical recommendations on how to fix them.
Each recommendation should include both short-term and long-term steps, explaining whether patches, configuration changes, or policy updates are required.
A good report will also include guidance on verifying that the issue has been resolved. This section is essential because it turns technical findings into actionable improvements.
7. Supporting evidence and proof of concept
To make the report credible, testers often include supporting evidence. This can be screenshots, output from security tools, or short descriptions of test results.
The purpose is to show that vulnerabilities were genuinely found and confirmed. Proof of concept examples demonstrate how an attacker could exploit an issue, but without causing damage. This gives technical teams the information they need to reproduce and fix the problem safely.
8. Summary of Overall Security Posture
The report should finish with a conclusion that summarises the organisation’s overall security posture.
This section gives a balanced view of strengths and weaknesses, helping the business understand how well its defences performed.
It may also include trends or comparisons with previous tests to show whether security has improved or declined. This overview is useful for long-term strategy, compliance reporting, and demonstrating progress to stakeholders.
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