Tutorials / Pentesting

PAC Wizard (Pentest Wizard)

Unlike the Autonomous Security Wizard, which is used to generate an inventory based on domains or cloud environments, the PAC Wizard is tailored for configuring and launching penetration tests on a single, specific application target.

To begin, click on PAC Wizard from the left-hand menu.

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Step 1: Environment and Connection Setup

Target Environment Selection

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On the first screen, you’ll be asked whether you want to connect to a specific target environment:

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  • Azure Cloud
  • AWS Cloud
  • Google Cloud
  • Custom (select if the application is outside of those environments)

Selecting a cloud environment enables two key capabilities:

1. Scanner Deployment in that environment

2. Internal Scanning of resources that are not publicly accessible

Connection Type

Next, choose whether to use:

  • An existing connection
  • A new connection

If you choose Existing Connection, a list of previously configured connections will be displayed.

If you select New Connection, you'll be prompted to name the connection and provide the necessary credentials and configuration data.

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Key Concepts: Connector & Scanner

Before proceeding, it’s important to understand two fundamental concepts in the Prancer platform:

Connector

A Connector is the configuration used to establish communication with a target. It may represent:

  • Cloud environments (e.g., AWS, Azure)
  • Code repositories
  • SIEM systems
  • Project/work management tools
  • Or other integrated systems

Connectors are defined in JSON format. While you can manually configure them, in most cases Prancer automatically generates connectors for you during onboarding.

Scanner

A Scanner is the engine responsible for executing the penetration test. Prancer supports multiple scanner configurations:

  • Prancer Managed Scanner: Hosted and maintained by Prancer, ideal for general use.
  • Customer-Hosted Scanner: Deployed within the customer’s own cloud or data center, allowing:
  • Testing from predefined IP addresses
  • Local testing of internal services
  • Launching via Prancer Commander, which can spin up serverless workloads in isolated VPCs or subnets for high-fidelity local scans

Additionally, the Prancer CLI allows advanced users to deploy scanners directly on their hosts—this will be covered in a later module.

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Step 2: Application Profile

After setting up the environment and connection, click Next to enter the Application Profile. Here, provide the following details:

  • Application Name
  • Application Type:
  • WebScan
  • OpenAPI
  • SOAP API
  • gRPC
  • GraphQL
  • Risk Profile:
  • Low
  • Medium
  • High
  • Attack Type:
  • Safe (non-intrusive)
  • Intrusive
  • Compliance Frameworks (optional):
  • Zero Trust
  • CIS
  • CSA-CCM
  • HIPAA
  • ISO 27001
  • PCI-DSS
  • NIST 800
  • HITRUST
  • SOC 2
  • GDPR
  • Best Practice
  • Scan Schedule:
  • One-time
  • Daily
  • Continuous Compliance
  • Scanner Lifecycle Options:
  • Stop the instance after scan completion
  • Delete the instance after completion
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Step 3: Scanner Configuration

On the scanner configuration page, choose your preferred scanner:

  • Prancer Managed Scanner: Fully hosted, no setup needed (selecting this hides all other options).
  • Customer-Provided Scanner:
  • Use an existing scanner instance
  • Create a new scanner instance:
  • Specify location (cloud region or IP)
  • Define if it’s External or Internal
  • For Internal Scanners, you’ll need to specify a VPC or VNet where the scanner will reside
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Step 4: Define the Target

Enter the Target Application. This can be:

  • A Fully Qualified Domain Name (e.g., http://demo.testfire.net)
  • An IP Address

Click Next to proceed.

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Step 5: Authentication (Optional)

If the target application or API requires authentication, you can configure it on this page. Prancer supports most modern authentication mechanisms, including:

  • JWT
  • OAuth
  • Cookie-based
  • Form-based
  • Custom methods
For now, select No Authentication to proceed. A dedicated module will later cover authentication configuration in detail.
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Step 6: Review & Submit PAC Configuration

In the final step, you will be presented with the PAC (Prancer Application Configuration) File—a YAML manifest that defines your test profile, including environment, authentication, compliance, and scan configurations.

Advanced users may edit this YAML directly within the embedded editor.

Once everything looks good, click Submit.

Prancer will validate the configuration and automatically begin the penetration testing workflow.

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Monitoring the Test

After submission, you can track the progress and results of the scan by navigating to the Inventory Management page. The system will update the test status as it progresses through each stage of the scan lifecycle.

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Prancer PenSuite AI PAC Wizard

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Additional Screenshots

Additional screenshots, in order of appearance.

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