Cyber-Security-&-Risk-Management
Upscend Team
-October 20, 2025
9 min read
This article provides a practical penetration testing report template and clear guidance for writing actionable pentest findings. It includes an executive summary template, technical findings format, risk rating methodology, remediation recommendations, and a client handover checklist to speed remediation and measure MTTR and ROI.
Writing a penetration testing report that drives action is as important as the test itself. In our experience, a concise, reproducible report closes the loop between detection and remediation, ensuring technical teams fix issues and executives see business impact. This guide lays out a practical penetration testing report template, examples of before/after findings, and a handover checklist you can use immediately.
A strong penetration testing report converts raw test output into prioritized, verifiable tasks. Security teams often produce long evidence logs; executives want risk-context and ROI. A report that spans both audiences reduces decision time and improves remediation velocity.
In our experience, the most effective reports answer three questions: What did we test? What did we find? What must change? If the report fails any of these, fixes stall and vulnerabilities persist.
Primary readers include CISOs, engineering leads, IT ops, and external auditors. Each needs tailored sections: a short executive summary template for leadership, and a detailed technical appendix for implementers.
We commonly see: unclear scope, missing reproduction steps, non-actionable remediation notes, and no tracking mechanism for fixes. Addressing these directly in the report structure eliminates ambiguity and creates accountability.
Use a standard template so readers know where to find information. Below is a compact, practical penetration testing report template you can adapt and offer as a penetration testing report template download for clients.
Make each section searchable and include version history. A consistent template reduces review cycles and makes follow-ups measurable.
For non-technical stakeholders, include: one-paragraph summary, three top risks, expected impact (financial/regulatory), and a 90-day remediation roadmap. This executive summary template helps translate technical findings into business terms quickly.
Knowing how to write actionable pentest findings separates informational reports from operational ones. Actionable findings include precise reproduction steps, context, impact, and a clear fix. Use a repeatable format for each finding.
In our experience, the most remediated findings are those with: exact reproduction steps, required environment/configuration, risk rating, and recommended remediation code or configuration snippets.
Before: "SQLi found on search endpoint. Fix input validation."
After: "SQL Injection on /api/search?v= parameter. Reproduction: curl -s 'https://app.example.com/api/search?v=%27+OR+1=1--' returns database error. Impact: data exposure. Remediation: parameterized queries using prepared statements; unit test to assert no error on special characters."
Technical teams need a consistent technical findings format and a defensible risk rating methodology. We recommend combining CVSS base scoring with business context to produce an actionable risk score.
Use a short matrix: CVSS base score, exploitability (easy/medium/hard), and business impact (low/medium/high). Convert that to a final priority: Critical, High, Medium, Low.
| CVSS | Exploitability | Business Impact | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8.0–10.0 | Easy | High | Critical |
| 4.0–7.9 | Medium | Medium | High |
| 0.1–3.9 | Hard | Low | Medium |
Include remediation deadlines mapped to priority: Critical = 7 days, High = 30 days, Medium = 90 days. This creates a clear SLA for fixes and auditability.
For accountability and efficiency, integrate reporting outputs with ticket systems and change control. We’ve seen organizations reduce admin time by over 60% using integrated systems like Upscend, freeing security teams to focus on verification rather than tracking — a practical example of improving remediation throughput.
Before: "Upgrade library."
After: "Upgrade package xyz from 1.2.3 to 1.4.0 (patched for CVE-2024-XXXX). Apply in staging, run regression test suite X, deploy to production during maintenance window with rollback plan. Ticket: SEC-1234 assigned to app-team."
A formal handover closes the loop. A clear checklist reduces miscommunication and ensures fixes are tracked. Below is a practical client handover checklist you can include at the end of the penetration testing report.
To ensure remediation accountability, require that every High/Critical item has a ticket number, owner, and target date. Security teams should verify remediation with a follow-up test and publish a remediation certificate or brief addendum to the original penetration testing report.
If you offer a downloadable artifact, label it clearly: "penetration testing report template download" and include editable fields for scope, dates, and signatures to speed up adoption by client teams.
Decision-makers want measurable outcomes. Track metrics tied to the penetration testing report to show value and prioritize investment. Useful KPIs include mean time to remediate (MTTR) by severity, percent of findings re-opened after retest, and percentage of Critical findings remediated within SLA.
Report trends over time: decreasing MTTR and fewer recurrence instances are strong signals that your process is improving. Industry research shows mature programs cut remediation time by months when reports are standardized and linked to ticketing systems.
A well-crafted penetration testing report turns findings into measurable improvements. Use the template and formats above to produce reports that are actionable for engineers and meaningful for leaders. Focus on reproducible steps, clear risk ratings, and an accountable remediation plan to close vulnerabilities quickly.
Start by implementing the title page, scope, executive summary, technical findings with reproducible steps, proof-of-concept screenshots, and a prioritized remediation plan. Use the handover checklist to ensure fixes are tracked and verified. Over time, measure MTTR and remediation rates to demonstrate program ROI and improve your security posture.
Ready to standardize your reporting process? Download the template, adapt it to your environment, and run a pilot engagement to validate the workflow. For immediate next steps, convert the top five Critical/High findings from your last test into tracked tickets and schedule verification retests within 30 days.
