When a vendor shares a pen test summary, check six things: the dates, what was in scope, who tested, how findings were rated, what was fixed and retested, and what was left out. A summary that omits scope or dates tells you little, however clean the findings look.
What to check
| Item | What good looks like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Dates | Test window stated, recent enough for your needs | No dates, or only a year |
| Scope | Named applications, environments and test types | "The platform" with no detail |
| Tester | Independent party named or described | Done by the vendor's own team with no stated independence |
| Method | Manual and tool assisted, authenticated testing | Scan only |
| Findings | Counts by severity, with a rating method | Only a pass or fail |
| Remediation | Critical and high items fixed and retested | Open criticals with no plan |
| Exclusions | Stated plainly | Silent on what was not tested |
NIST SP 800-53 has an enhancement that calls for an independent penetration testing agent or team, and says that risk assessments guide the level of independence needed. Ask whether the vendor followed something similar.
Questions to send back
- Which product and environment does the summary cover?
- Does the scope include the features we use and the integration we will connect?
- Were authenticated and role based tests included?
- Which critical or high findings were open at the date of the summary?
- Has a retest confirmed the fixes?
- When is the next test planned?
What the summary cannot tell you
A summary is a vendor's view of one test. It does not cover issues found after the test, third party components or the vendor's build pipeline. Pair it with other evidence: an SBOM, a vulnerability disclosure policy, and the vendor's patching record. See pen test reports in due diligence for the due diligence angle.
How to record your review
- Save the summary with the date you received it.
- Note the gaps and the vendor's answers.
- Set a review date, since the report will go stale.
- Record the decision and the reviewer's name for your vendor risk file.
Quick check
Should a vendor share the full report?
Many share a summary or letter under confidentiality. The full report may contain details about other customers or weaknesses, so a summary is often what you get.
Is a clean summary enough?
No. Check scope and dates first. A clean result on a narrow scope says little about the product you will use.
Safeguard helps teams collect and track this kind of vendor evidence with compliance and evidence automation, and a free scan covers the dependency side of your own product.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
