How to turn a vulnerability scan export into a client-ready report

Step 1: export the right file

Every scanner offers a polished PDF and a raw data export. The PDF is designed to be read, so it summarizes; fields such as CVE lists, plugin output or detection details are often trimmed. The raw export keeps everything, which is what you need to build a report you can defend.

Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management and ConnectSecure have no export file to upload. Connect them to Varaxon Scan Hub directly instead, which keeps the complete record including software inventory. Defender needs Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2, Defender Vulnerability Management or Defender for Servers.

Step 2: check what the scan could see

Before reading findings, confirm the scan's boundary. A report built on a partial scan should say so on the first page.

• Scope. Compare the hosts in the export with the client's asset list. A missing server is a gap, not a pass.
• Date and feed age. Record when the scan ran and how current the scanner's checks were.
• Credentials. Note which hosts were scanned with working credentials. A failed login quietly drops a host to a network-only view; see credentialed vs non-credentialed scans.
• Filters. Some exports apply filters at download time, such as Greenbone's Quality of Detection threshold. Make sure nothing was hidden by accident.

Step 3: group findings into actions

Clients do not fix findings; they perform actions. Forty Windows findings across twenty laptops usually collapse into one action: apply the current cumulative update. Group by the remediation, then list the affected hosts under it. This turns a 600-row export into a list of 15 or 20 things to do, which is a list a client can actually schedule.

Step 4: put the actions in order

Rank actions by the strongest evidence of real-world risk first. A defensible order:

1. Anything in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, with known ransomware use at the very top.
2. Critical findings (CVSS 9.0 or above) without a KEV match, especially on internet-facing systems.
3. Other findings with a CVE and meaningful severity, ordered by severity and EPSS.
4. Findings without a CVE that still matter, such as end-of-life software or weak remote access configuration.
5. Low and informational items, as context.

The reasoning behind this order is in CVSS vs EPSS vs CISA KEV. Varaxon Scan Hub applies exactly these six bands with deterministic code, so two reports from the same export always agree.

Step 5: write for the person who decides

The first page is for the business owner or IT manager. Say what was scanned, the three to five actions that matter most, what they protect against and roughly what each involves. Leave raw counts of Highs and Mediums off this page: they alarm without informing.

After the summary come the scope and method, the full prioritized action list with owners and target dates, and a technical appendix with per-host detail. The report template guide lists every section and what goes in it.

Step 6: hand over the work, then track it

A report is only useful if the actions become tickets someone closes. Agree target dates with the client (the remediation SLA guide has a starting matrix), create the tickets, and compare the next scan against this one so the client sees what was fixed and what is still open.

Varaxon Scan Hub covers steps 2 to 6 from the uploaded export: it checks coverage, groups and ranks the actions, writes the report, creates reviewed HaloPSA or ConnectWise PSA tickets and tracks each client between scans. See the sample reports, or try it on your own export with the free pre-flight check.

Common questions