Thread by @bettersafetynet

Pen testers, we need to talk. Please listen up, take notes... and above all, ask questions.

A non-trivial part of my service portfolio is now reviewing the reports of other firms and either adjusting or providing missing context.

Read on for the common issues...
1

Most important: you need to give clients multiple options on how to fix something. MULTIPLE. At least 3. Telling them "fix the code" when it's from a vendor that's closed, doesn't help at all.
2

Show your work. There's a few firms that hide what they're doing. Some to the point where they just show a "ta da!" screenshot and don't explain how they did it... and frankly, that's weaksauce.
3

single screenshot as proof is bad. You do know that clients will need to reproduce your work to verify they fixed the issue, right? If you don't give them a step-by-step, how are they going to verify any corrections they take?
4

I could go on an entire day long rant about the lack of business impact in most reports. I hate to say it, but frequently I get something to the effect of "and this is bad"... and that's about it.

Redact it, but show you got to the data!
5

Try not to editorialize. (everyone does this... including me from time to time) it's hard not to opine on things, but you're there to give a very "this is what we did, this is how things responded".
6

On the flip, if you observe issues that indicate something is not meeting standards, just come out and say it. "this shows that XYZ is not following the ABC regulatory framework requirements in section 123.4"

Be crisp. Be clinical. Be precise.
7

However, if some finding is NOT in a framework, your job is to help your client understand that compliance isn't security. There's an amazing lack of nuance in the reports I read. It makes me sad. :-(
8

TONE. OMG... this is another day long rant. When was the last time you gave a client credit for the work they've done? Shown that they're doing some things well? Don't kick them and leave. Show what's working... SO THEY KEEP DOING THE GOOD STUFF!!
9

IDK.... I don't want to go too far down this rabbit hole. If you just follow the elements in this thread, I could get away from doing review of *your* work. It's easy money for us, but I HATE that we're doing this.

Pen testing is HARD. Report writing is HARDER.

Do better.
fin.