What is VAPT lifecycle?

The lifecycle ensures that no stone is left unturned and that the final results provide actual business value. Let's break down the five critical phases of a modern VAPT engagement.

1. Scoping & Reconnaissance

The foundation of any security test is understanding the target. This phase involves defining what is in-scope and gathering as much information as possible about the target infrastructure, application architecture, and tech stack.

2. Vulnerability Assessment

Using automated scanners and manual analysis, we identify potential weaknesses. This is not just about finding "bugs" but understanding how different misconfigurations can be chained together.

3. Penetration Testing (Exploitation)

This is where simulation meets reality. Pentesters attempt to exploit the identified vulnerabilities to verify their impact and gain unauthorized access, just as a real-world attacker would.

4. Reporting & Remediation

The most important deliverable. Vulnerabilities are documented with clear steps to reproduce and actionable fixing guidance. The goal is to provide a roadmap for the development team to secure the system.

5. Re-testing

A lifecycle isn't complete until the vulnerabilities are proven to be fixed. Once the remediation is done, a final check ensures that the patches are effective and haven't introduced new issues.