Quick Start

This guide walks you through the complete flow from creating a project to viewing your first penetration test results. You should be able to complete this in under 10 minutes.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

• A PAIStrike account (sign up here)
• An organization set up (create one here)
• A target to test (a web URL, IP address, or other asset)

Important: Only test systems you own or have explicit written permission to test. Unauthorized penetration testing is illegal.

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Step 1: Create a Project

Projects are containers that organize related assets and tests.

1. From the dashboard, click New Project.
2. Enter a project name (e.g., ACME Corp Web App Assessment).
3. Optionally add a description to provide context for the engagement.
4. Set the project status to Active.
5. Click Create Project.

You will be redirected to the project detail page.

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Step 2: Add an Asset

An asset is a specific target within your project — a URL, IP address, or application you want to test.

1. Inside your project, click Add Asset.
2. Choose an asset type:
   • Web — for web applications (HTTP/HTTPS URLs)
   • API — for REST or GraphQL APIs
   • Mobile — for iOS/Android applications
   • Network — for IP ranges, hosts, or subnets
   • Cloud — for cloud service endpoints
   • Other — for anything else
3. Enter the asset name and target (URL or IP address).
4. Add an optional description with any relevant notes about the target.
5. Click Save Asset.

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Step 3: Run Your First Job

A job is a single test execution against an asset.

1. From the asset detail page, click New Job.
2. Select the testing mode:
   • Black Box — the AI has no prior knowledge of the system (simulates an external attacker)
   • White Box — you provide application details, credentials, or source code to guide the test
3. Configure any additional job settings as needed.
4. Click Start Job.

The job will enter Pending status, then transition to Running as the AI begins testing.

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Step 4: Monitor Progress

While the job runs:

• The job status updates in real time: Pending → Running → Completed (or Failed)
• You can navigate away — the job runs in the background
• Return to the job detail page to see intermediate findings as they are discovered

Typical job duration varies based on asset complexity and testing scope.

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Step 5: View Results

Once the job status shows Completed:

1. Click the job to open the results view.
2. Review the list of vulnerabilities discovered, sorted by severity (Critical → High → Medium → Low → Info).
3. Click any finding to see:
   • Vulnerability description
   • Steps to reproduce
   • Evidence (screenshots, payloads, response data)
   • Recommended remediation

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Step 6: Generate a Report

To create a professional report from your findings:

1. Navigate to the project Reports section.
2. Click Generate Report.
3. The report compiles all findings into a structured document with executive summary, methodology, and detailed findings.
4. Click Export PDF to download the report.

See Generating a Report for full details.

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What's Next?

• Add more assets to expand your test coverage
• Invite team members to collaborate
• Upload knowledge base content to improve AI accuracy
• Configure your organization