Why Sample Reports Matter
In ethical hacking, it's not just what you find, but how you present it. Well-crafted reports turn technical findings into actionable insights. This page provides examples of real-world report structures, layouts, and writing styles that can help you build high-quality deliverables.
🧱 Types of Pentest Reports
1. Executive Summary
High-level, non-technical overview intended for stakeholders like managers or clients. Focuses on risk impact, affected areas, and business relevance.
2. Technical Summary
Detailed breakdown of vulnerabilities, including affected assets, severity levels, PoCs, remediation steps, and CVSS scores.
3. Appendix
Contains raw data like request/response pairs, tools used, screenshots, or logs for auditors or other technical reviewers.
📑 Standard Report Structure
- Cover Page – Title, Client, Date, Consultant
- Executive Summary – High-level findings and risk posture
- Scope & Methodology – What was tested, tools, approach
- Findings – Each issue with title, severity, PoC, impact, remediation
- Conclusion – Overall security health and key recommendations
- Appendix – Technical logs, payloads, tool outputs
📘 Sample Report Snippets
Executive Summary Example:
During the assessment, a total of 5 high-risk, 3 medium-risk, and 2 low-risk vulnerabilities were identified.
The most critical issues involve unauthenticated access to sensitive endpoints and improper input validation that could lead to SQL Injection.
Immediate remediation is advised to mitigate potential exploitation risks.Technical Finding Example:
Finding: Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
Severity: High
Affected URL: https://app.target.com/search?q=
PoC:
https://app.target.com/search?q=<script>alert('XSS')</script>
Impact:
An attacker can execute arbitrary JavaScript in the victim's browser, potentially stealing cookies or redirecting users.
Recommendation:
Implement output encoding and input sanitization for all user-supplied inputs.💡 Reporting Best Practices
- Write clearly for both technical and non-technical readers
- Use visual aids (tables, graphs, screenshots) to enhance clarity
- Include CVSS scoring to standardize severity levels
- Provide reproducible PoCs, not just tool output
- Suggest remediation with links to official guidelines