Reporting and Communication

Effective reporting transforms technical findings into actionable business communications. Structure reports for multiple audiences—executive summaries for management, technical details for developers, and remediation guidance for implementation teams. Use risk ratings that consider both technical severity and business impact. A SQL injection in a test system has different risk than the same vulnerability in payment processing.

Evidence quality determines finding credibility. Include specific request/response pairs demonstrating vulnerabilities. Provide step-by-step reproduction instructions that developers can follow. Screenshot multi-step attacks or time-based blind injections that are difficult to convey textually. Clear evidence accelerates remediation by eliminating reproduction guesswork.

Remediation guidance should be specific and actionable. Generic advice like "sanitize input" frustrates developers who need concrete solutions. Provide code examples in relevant languages, recommend specific libraries or frameworks, and explain why recommended fixes prevent the vulnerability. Consider application architecture when suggesting remediation—solutions must be practical within existing constraints.