/scope-authorized-security-test

name: scope-authorized-security-test
description: Define authorization, targets, rules, safety controls, and stop conditions before active security testing. Use for penetration tests, scans, exploit validation, web or API tests, network probing, bug bounty, or agent-driven testing.

Scope Authorized Security Test

Overview

Turn permission into an executable scope record before sending active traffic or running a proof of concept. Authorization must identify the owner and boundaries; access to a target or a public address is not permission.

Read [references/active-test-scope.md](references/active-test-scope.md) and complete every applicable field.

Workflow

1. Identify authority.

• Record target owner, authorizing person/record, tester, contacts, dates, jurisdiction or program policy, and evidence of permission.

2. Resolve targets precisely.

• List domains, hosts, addresses/ranges, applications, APIs, repositories, accounts, environments, and third-party dependencies.
• List exclusions explicitly and define how dynamic/cloud/CDN targets are resolved.

3. Define allowed techniques.

• Separate passive review, discovery, authenticated testing, automated scanning, fuzzing, exploit validation, social/physical testing, persistence, credential access, data access, and denial-of-service.
• Default unlisted techniques to disallowed.

4. Set operational controls.

• Define source addresses, accounts, rate/concurrency, time windows, test data, logging, notification, emergency stop, cleanup, and restoration.

5. Define data handling.

• Minimize accessed data; specify retention, encryption, screenshots/logs, secrets, evidence transfer, disclosure, and deletion.

6. Establish stop conditions.

• Stop on target drift, third-party impact, instability, sensitive data beyond minimum proof, unexpected privileges, scope ambiguity, or an unapproved technique.

7. Approve the test plan.

• Show exact targets and effects before tools run; update the scope record before expanding work.

Output

Return authority, included/excluded targets, allowed/disallowed techniques, operational controls, data handling, stop/escalation contacts, and approval state.