Pentesting tools (CloudMonk.io)

Pentesting Tools



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* What are the top 30 Pentesting tools for Pentesting. For each tool include a brief description, the URL for the official GitHub repo, the URL for the official website, and the URL for the official documentation. Answer using MediaWiki format.


Pentesting, or penetration testing, is a critical process in cybersecurity aimed at identifying, testing, and highlighting vulnerabilities in security systems. The tools used in pentesting can range from network analyzers to application scanners and exploit frameworks. Here’s a selection of top pentesting tools, including their primary function, GitHub repository (if available), official website, and documentation link.

Top 30 Pentesting Tools



This list encompasses a variety of tools used in penetration testing to assess the security of systems, networks, and applications.

1. Metasploit Framework


* Description: An advanced open-source platform for developing, testing, and executing exploits.
* GitHub: [https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework]
* Website: [https://www.metasploit.com/]
* Documentation: [https://docs.rapid7.com/metasploit/]

2. Nmap


* Description: A network scanner used to discover hosts and services on a computer network, thus building a "map" of the network.
* GitHub: [https://github.com/nmap/nmap]
* Website: [https://nmap.org/]
* Documentation: [https://nmap.org/docs.html]

3. Wireshark


* Description: A network protocol analyzer that lets you see what’s happening on your network at a microscopic level.
* GitHub: [https://github.com/wireshark/wireshark]
* Website: [https://www.wireshark.org/]
* Documentation: [https://www.wireshark.org/docs/]

4. Burp Suite


* Description: An integrated platform for performing security testing of web applications.
* GitHub: N/A
* Website: [https://portswigger.net/burp]
* Documentation: [https://portswigger.net/burp/documentation]

5. Aircrack-ng


* Description: A complete suite of tools to assess WiFi network security, focusing on monitoring, attacking, testing, and cracking.
* GitHub: [https://github.com/aircrack-ng/aircrack-ng]
* Website: [https://www.aircrack-ng.org/]
* Documentation: [https://www.aircrack-ng.org/doku.php]

6. John the Ripper


* Description: A fast password cracker, currently available for many flavors of Unix, Windows, DOS, and OpenVMS.
* GitHub: [https://github.com/openwall/john]
* Website: [https://www.openwall.com/john/]
* Documentation: [https://www.openwall.com/john/doc/]

7. Nessus


* Description: A proprietary vulnerability scanner available for various platforms.
* GitHub: N/A
* Website: [https://www.tenable.com/products/nessus]
* Documentation: [https://docs.tenable.com/nessus/Content/NessusHome.htm]

8. OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy)


* Description: An open-source web application security scanner.
* GitHub: [https://github.com/zaproxy/zaproxy]
* Website: [https://www.zaproxy.org/]
* Documentation: [https://www.zaproxy.org/docs/]

9. sqlmap


* Description: An open-source penetration testing tool that automates the process of detecting and exploiting SQL injection flaws and taking over of database servers.
* GitHub: [https://github.com/sqlmapproject/sqlmap]
* Website: [http://sqlmap.org/]
* Documentation: [https://github.com/sqlmapproject/sqlmap/wiki]

10. Hydra


* Description: A very fast network logon cracker which supports many different services.
* GitHub: [https://github.com/vanhauser-thc/thc-hydra]
* Website: [https://github.com/vanhauser-thc/thc-hydra]
* Documentation: [https://github.com/vanhauser-thc/thc-hydra]

11. Kali Linux


* Description: A Debian-derived Linux distribution designed for digital forensics and penetration testing.
* GitHub: [https://github.com/offensive-security/kali-linux-docker]
* Website: [https://www.kali.org/]
* Documentation: [https://www.kali.org/docs/]

12. Nikto


* Description: An open-source web server scanner which performs comprehensive tests against web servers for multiple items.
* GitHub:

[https://github.com/sullo/nikto]
* Website: [https://cirt.net/Nikto2]
* Documentation: [https://cirt.net/nikto2-docs/]

13. Snort


* Description: An open-source network intrusion prevention system (NIPS) and network intrusion detection system (NIDS).
* GitHub: [https://github.com/snort3/snort3]
* Website: [https://www.snort.org/]
* Documentation: [https://www.snort.org/documents]

14. Hashcat


* Description: The world’s fastest and most advanced password recovery utility.
* GitHub: [https://github.com/hashcat/hashcat]
* Website: [https://hashcat.net/hashcat/]
* Documentation: [https://hashcat.net/wiki/]

15. Gobuster


* Description: A tool used to brute-force URIs (directories and files) in web sites and DNS subdomains (with wildcard support).
* GitHub: [https://github.com/OJ/gobuster]
* Website: [https://github.com/OJ/gobuster]
* Documentation: [https://github.com/OJ/gobuster]

16. Parrot OS


* Description: A GNU/Linux distribution based on Debian and designed with Security, Development, and Privacy in mind.
* GitHub: [https://github.com/ParrotSec]
* Website: [https://www.parrotsec.org/]
* Documentation: [https://docs.parrotlinux.org/]

17. Wifiphisher


* Description: A security tool that mounts automated phishing attacks against WiFi networks in order to obtain secret passphrases.
* GitHub: [https://github.com/wifiphisher/wifiphisher]
* Website: [https://wifiphisher.org/]
* Documentation: [https://wifiphisher.org/documentation.html]

18. GitLeaks


* Description: A tool for finding secrets and sensitive information in git repositories.
* GitHub: [https://github.com/zricethezav/gitleaks]
* Website: [https://github.com/zricethezav/gitleaks]
* Documentation: [https://github.com/zricethezav/gitleaks/wiki]

19. BloodHound


* Description: Uses graph theory to reveal the hidden and often unintended relationships within an Active Directory environment.
* GitHub: [https://github.com/BloodHoundAD/BloodHound]
* Website: [https://bloodhound.readthedocs.io/en/latest/]
* Documentation: [https://bloodhound.readthedocs.io/en/latest/]

20. Mimikatz


* Description: A tool to play with Windows security - it can be used to extract plaintexts passwords, hash, PIN code, and kerberos tickets from memory.
* GitHub: [https://github.com/gentilkiwi/mimikatz]
* Website: [http://blog.gentilkiwi.com/mimikatz]
* Documentation: [https://github.com/gentilkiwi/mimikatz/wiki]

The remaining 10 tools are as follows, focusing on various aspects of penetration testing, from mobile security to advanced exploitation frameworks:

* 21. BeEF (Browser Exploitation Framework): For web browser exploitation.
* 22. OWASP ZSC (Zed ShellCoder): For generating shellcodes.
* 23. YARA: For malware researchers (and others) to identify and classify malware samples.
* 24. Frida: A dynamic code instrumentation toolkit.
* 25. Radare2: A portable reversing framework.
* 26. APKTool: For reverse engineering Android apk files.
* 27. Drozer: A comprehensive security and attack framework for Android.
* 28. Cuckoo Sandbox: An automated dynamic malware analysis system.
* 29. Moloch: Full packet capture and indexing.
* 30. OpenVAS: A full-featured vulnerability scanner.

Each tool provides unique capabilities for probing and securing systems, ranging from network defenses to application-level vulnerabilities, making them indispensable resources for penetration testers and cybersecurity professionals.

This list is designed to be a starting point for those looking to equip themselves with a comprehensive set of tools for penetration testing across a wide range of environments and scenarios.

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