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Penetration Testing
Tools: Overview and
Selection Guide
By: Sagar

Note: This document is not created by a professional content writer so any mistake and
error is a part of great design

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Introduction
Hello dear hackers welcome back to my another blog, hope you all are

good, happy and enjoying your life.

Penetration testing, also known as ethical hacking, simulates real-

world cyber attacks to uncover weaknesses in a system’s defenses.

While this process requires a skilled and knowledgeable professional,

having the right tools at their disposal can greatly enhance the

efficiency and effectiveness of their efforts.

In this blog post, we will provide an overview of some of the most

popular penetration testing tools available today.Whether you are a

security professional looking to expand your toolkit or an organization

seeking guidance on selecting the appropriate tools, this

comprehensive selection guide will help you navigate the complex

world of penetration testing.

Before start writing the blog, I have such a small request to all of you, I

always right articles on cyber security, ethical hacking, penetration

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1. Network & Vulnerability Scanning Tools:

Network scanning tools are used to discover active hosts, open ports,

and services running on a network. They provide essential information

for further testing and vulnerability assessment. Some popular network

scanning tools include.

1. Nmap: Nmap is a widely-used network exploration and security

auditing tool.It helps in discovering hosts and services on a

network, providing valuable insights into network inventory and

vulnerabilities. With its extensive range of scanning techniques

and scripting capabilities.

2. Zenmap: Zenmap is a graphical user interface (GUI) for Nmap, a

powerful network scanning tool.It provides an intuitive interface

for configuring and running Nmap scans, making it easier for

users to conduct network exploration, host discovery,and

vulnerability scanning.

3. Nessus: Nessus is a robust vulnerability assessment tool that

helps in identifying vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in

networks and systems.It performs thorough security scans,

including host discovery, vulnerability detection.

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4. Wireshark: Wireshark is a powerful network protocol analyzer

that allows users to capture and inspect network traffic in real-

time.It provides detailed insights into network communications,

helping in network troubleshooting, analysis, and security

investigations.

5. Socat: Socat is a versatile networking tool that allows for

bidirectional data transfer between two endpoints.It provides a

wide range of functionalities, such as creating virtual

connections, port forwarding, and encryption.

6. Netcat: Netcat, also known as Swiss Army Knife of Networking, is

a versatile command-line networking utility.It can read from and

write to network connections, making it useful for port

scanning, file transfers, and network troubleshooting.

7. Netstat: Netstat is a command-line tool used for displaying active

network connections, listening ports, and routing tables on a

host. It provides information about established connections,

network statistics, and open ports, aiding in network

monitoring, troubleshooting, and security analysis.

8. Netdiscover: This is a network scanning tool used for discovering

active hosts on a network. It sends ARP (Address Resolution

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Protocol) requests to determine the IP and MAC addresses of

active hosts.

9. Ncat: This Tool is a versatile networking utility that allows for

reading, writing, and manipulating network connections. It offers

advanced features such as port scanning, debugging network

protocols, and establishing secure connections, making it a

valuable tool for network administrators and security

professionals.

10. Nikto: Nikto is a web vulnerability scanner designed to

identify security flaws in web servers and applications. It performs

comprehensive tests for outdated software, misconfigurations,

and potentially risky files or scripts.

11. Skipfish: Skipfish is a web application security scanner that

performs a thorough analysis of web applications and identifies

potential vulnerabilities.It crawls through the application,

mapping its structure and testing for security flaws like SQL

injection and cross-site scripting (XSS).

12. OpenVAS: OpenVAS (Open Vulnerability

Assessment System) is a powerful open-source vulnerability

scanner.It performs comprehensive vulnerability assessments on

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networks and systems, providing detailed reports on security

weaknesses.

13. Uniscan: Uniscan is a feature-rich web vulnerability

scanner that helps in identifying potential security issues in web

applications. It employs various scanning techniques

like fingerprinting, file discovery, and input validation testing.

14. Unicornscan: Unicornscan is a high-speed network scanning

tool known for its speed and efficiency in port scanning and

service detection. It can quickly scan large networks, providing

valuable information about open ports and services running on

target hosts.

15. Cain and Abel: this is a windows based multi-

purpose network security tool used for password

recovery, network sniffing, and various types of attacks.

16. TCPdump: The given tool is a command-line packet

analyzer used for capturing and analyzing network traffic.It

provides a wide range of options for capturing and filtering

packets, allowing users to examine network communications at a

low-level.

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17. Tshark: This is a command-line tool that serves as the

console version of Wireshark.It offers similar packet capturing and

analysis capabilities as Wireshark but without the graphical

interface.

18. Acunetix: Acunetix is a web application vulnerability

scanner that helps in identifying security flaws in web

applications. It scans for common vulnerabilities such as cross-site

scripting (XSS), SQL injection, and more.

19. smbclient & enum4linux: smbclient is a command-line

tool used to interact with SMB/CIFS (Server Message

Block/Common Internet File System) shares

on Windows and Samba servers. It provides file and printer

sharing functionalities, allowing users to access shared resources.

enum4linux is a penetration testing tool used to enumerate

information from Windows and Samba systems. It gathers data

such as user and group details, share information, password

policies, and more.

20. Traceroute: Traceroute is a network diagnostic tool used to

trace the route packets take from the source to a destination

host. It provides insights into the network path, showing each hop

along the way and the response times.

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21. Curl: Curl is a command-line tool used for making HTTP

requests. It can retrieve and send data to servers, test APIs, and

perform network-related tasks. It supports various protocols and

provides options for specifying request methods, headers, data,

authentication, output handling, and more.It is commonly used

for tasks like fetching web pages, downloading files, and

interacting with web services.

2.Web Application Testing Tools:

Web application testing tools are specifically designed to assess the

security of web applications.They help identify common vulnerabilities

like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and insecure session

management.Some notable web application testing tools are.

1. Burp Suite: Burp Suite is a powerful web application

security testing platform.It consists of various tools that aid in

discovering and exploiting vulnerabilities in web applications.With

features such as web scanning, proxy interception, and

vulnerability scanning.

2. OWASP ZAP: OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy) is an open-source

web application security scanner.OWASP ZAP offers a user-

friendly interface, scripting capabilities, and a wide range of

features for web security testing and analysis..

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3. Sqlmap: Sqlmap is a popular open-source tool used for

automated SQL injection and database takeover. It helps in

identifying and exploiting SQL injection vulnerabilities in web

applications, allowing attackers to gain unauthorized access to

databases.

4. NoSQLMap: NoSQLMap is a penetration testing tool designed for

detecting and exploiting security

vulnerabilities in NoSQL databases. It supports

various NoSQL database platforms, such as MongoDB, CouchDB,

and Redis, and helps in identifying weaknesses and unauthorized

access to NoSQL databases.

5. Sqlninja: This tool is a tool specifically designed for exploiting SQL

injection vulnerabilities in databases. It enables attackers to

execute arbitrary SQL queries, retrieve data, escalate privileges,

and even take control of the database server.

6. WPScan: WPScan is a specialized security scanning tool

for WordPress websites. It assists in identifying vulnerabilities,

misconfigurations, and weaknesses in WordPress installations,

themes, and plugins.

7. XSSer: XSSer is a specialized tool used for detecting and

exploiting Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in web

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applications. It automates the process of identifying and

exploiting XSS flaws, helping security testers in evaluating the

security of web applications.

8. FFUF: (Fuzz Faster U Fool) is a fast web fuzzer designed for

discovering hidden files and directories on web servers. It uses a

combination of brute-forcing and pattern matching techniques to

identify non-publicly accessible content.

9. Dirbuster: This tool is a directory and file brute-forcing tool used

for web application testing and enumeration.It helps in

discovering hidden directories, files, and sensitive information by

systematically scanning web applications and attempting to locate

directories that may not be publicly visible.

10. Gobuster: This is a directory and DNS brute-forcing tool

used for website and subdomain enumeration.It helps in

discovering hidden directories, files, and subdomains by brute-

forcing them systematically.

11. BeEF: (Browser Exploitation Framework) is a

powerful penetration testing tool that focuses on exploiting

vulnerabilities in web browsers. It allows security professionals to

assess the security of web browsers and their vulnerabilities.

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12. Vega: Vega is an open-source web application vulnerability

scanner and testing platform. It helps in identifying security

vulnerabilities in web applications by scanning for common

vulnerabilities like cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, and

more.

13. If you want’s to know more about web recon tools then I

written a blog on it.

Complete Bug Bounty Recon Fundamentals.

Hello beautiful hackers, welcome back to my new blog, I hope so you all are good !!
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3. Password Cracking Tools:

Password cracking tools are used to test the strength of passwords and

assess their susceptibility to brute-force or dictionary attacks.They are

essential for evaluating the effectiveness of password policies.Some

widely used password cracking tools include:

1. John the Ripper: John the Ripper is a popular password

cracking tool known for its speed and versatility.It supports

various attack modes, including dictionary attacks, brute force

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attacks, and hybrid attacks, making it effective in cracking a wide

range of password hashes. John the Ripper is commonly used for

password auditing and recovery tasks.

2. Hashcat: Hashcat is a powerful password recovery tool capable of

cracking a wide range of password hashes. It supports GPU

acceleration, making it highly efficient for password

cracking tasks. Hashcat is widely used in security assessments

and forensic investigations to recover lost passwords or test the

strength of hashed passwords.

3. Hydra & Hydra gtk: Hydra is a powerful and popular password-

cracking tool used for online password attacks. It supports various

protocols such as HTTP, FTP, SMTP, and more, allowing for brute-

forcing of passwords by trying different combinations.

Hydra gtk provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for hydra.

4. Medusa: Medusa is a powerful and fast network password

cracking tool. It supports various protocols like SSH, FTP, Telnet,

and more, allowing for brute-force and dictionary

attacks on login credentials.

5. Ophcrack: Ophcrack is a popular offline password cracking tool

that specializes in cracking Windows passwords. It uses rainbow

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tables to precompute hash chains, making the cracking process

faster.

6. RainbowCrack: RainbowCrack is a general-purpose password

cracking tool that utilizes rainbow tables. It can

crack hashed passwords for different operating systems and

applications by leveraging precomputed tables.

7. Crowbar: Crowbar is an online brute-forcing tool specifically

designed for cracking RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) passwords.

It leverages a list of known usernames and performs a dictionary

attack to guess the password.

8. jSQL: jSQL Injection is a lightweight application used to find

database information from a server. It’s free, open source and

cross-platform for Windows, Linux and Mac and it works with Java

from version 11 to 20.

4. Wireless Network Testing Tools:

Wireless network testing tools help assess the security of Wi-Fi

networks by identifying vulnerabilities like weak encryption, rogue

access points, and misconfigurations.Two popular wireless

network testing tools are:

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1. Aircrack-Ng: Aircrack-Ng is a network security tool used for

assessing the security of wireless networks.It specializes in

capturing packets, analyzing network traffic, and

cracking WEP and WPA/WPA2-PSK keys.

2. Kismet: Kismet is a wireless network detector, sniffer,

and intrusion detection system. It can detect hidden networks,

collect network packets, and identify devices and their

vulnerabilities.

3. Wireshark: Wireshark is a powerful network protocol analyzer

that allows users to capture and inspect network traffic in real-

time.

4. This blog which I written before, it will help you to know more

about wireless pentesting tool.

Top 15 Best WiFi Hacking Tools.

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5. Payload Generator and Exploitation Tools:

Payload makes and exploitation are mostly used to get access over your

target system. It content lots of payloads to use. Here are some

following tools to use.

1. Metasploit Framework: Metasploit Framework is a

comprehensive penetration testing tool that assists in

exploiting security vulnerabilities.It provides a vast collection of

exploits, payloads, and auxiliary modules, making it a go-to tool

for security professionals.

2. Searchsploit: Searchsploit is a command-line tool used for

searching and displaying exploits from the Exploit Database.It

helps in identifying available exploits and their associated

vulnerabilities.

3. Revshells.com: revshells.com is a website that provides a

collection of reverse shell one-liners in various programming

languages. Reverse shells are used in post-exploitation scenarios

to gain remote access to compromised systems. Revshells.com

simplifies the process of generating reverse shell commands for

different platforms and languages.

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4. WADComs: The WADComs project aims to simplify the process of

collecting, analyzing, and visualizing data generated by web

applications. It offers a range of tools and libraries that enable

developers to integrate data collection mechanisms into

their web applications and extract valuable insights from the

gathered data. (Github)

5. Security Focus: Security Focus is a website that provides

information on vulnerabilities, exploits, and security-related

news.

6. Packet Storm Security: Packet Storm Security is a website that

provides a wide range of security-related resources,

including vulnerability disclosures, exploits, security tools, and

advisories. It offers a repository of security-related documents

and archives, allowing users to search for specific vulnerabilities,

exploits, or tools.

7. Google Hacking Database: The Google Hacking Database, also

known as GHDB, is a collection of Google search queries that can

be used to identify vulnerable systems or discover sensitive

information exposed on the internet.

8. PayloadAllTheThings and FuzzDB are valuable resources for

security professionals and penetration testers.They provide

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extensive collections of payloads, attack vectors, and fuzzing

techniques. These comprehensive databases assist in identifying

and testing vulnerabilities in various applications and systems.

6. Privilage Escalation Tools:

Privilage Escalation is a most important part while pentesting. It helpes

you to take you control over super user privileges on your target

system. There are some tools you can use to take the action.

1. Linpeas: Linpeas is a Linux Privilege Escalation Awesome Script

(PEAS) used for privilege escalation in Linux environments.It

automates the enumeration process, scanning for common

misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, and weak file

permissions.Linpeas is often used during security assessments to

identify potential paths for privilege escalation.

(Download)

2. Winpeas: Winpeas is a Windows Privilege Escalation Awesome

Script (PEAS) used for privilege

escalation in Windows environments. It automates

the enumeration process, scanning for misconfigurations,

vulnerable services, and weak file permissions. Winpeas is

commonly used during security assessments to identify potential

paths for privilege escalation. (Download)

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3. LinEnum : is a shell script that performs various checks and

commands to enumerate the system. It can assist in identifying

misconfigurations, weak permissions, and potential security

weaknesses that may exist on the target Linux machine.

(Download)

4. WinEnum : is a Windows enumeration tool used for privilege

escalation and system reconnaissance in Windows environments.

It is designed to gather information about the

target Windows system, including user accounts, installed

software, services, network configuration, and potential

vulnerabilities. (Download)

5. Linux-Exploit-Suggester: This tool tool by The-Z-Labs is an open-

source utility available on GitHub. It is designed to assist with

identifying potential vulnerabilities and suggesting relevant

exploits for Linux operating systems.The tool aims to help in the

process of vulnerability assessment and penetration

testing.(Download)

6. WES-NG : works by retrieving system information, such as

the operating system version, installed software, and patch level.

It then compares this information against a

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comprehensive vulnerability database, which includes details

about known vulnerabilities and associated exploits.(WES-NG)

7. GTFobins: GTFobins is a curated collection of Unix binaries that

can be used for privilege escalation during security assessments.It

provides instructions and examples of using these binaries to gain

elevated privileges or execute commands with higher privileges.

GTFobins aids in the exploitation of misconfigured systems.

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7. Tools Selection Process:

Tool selection processes is a most important thing that you have to

know about it.

When selecting penetration testing tools, consider the following

factors:

1. Testing requirements: Understand the scope of your testing

project, including the target systems, network infrastructure, and

applications you need to test.

2. Features and capabilities: Assess the features, capabilities,

and ease of use of the tools. Look for tools that offer the

functionalities you require and integrate well into your existing

workflow.

3. User-friendliness: Consider the ease of use and the learning

curve associated with the tools, as it can impact the efficiency of

your testing efforts.

4. Community support: Consider the popularity and active

community support for the tools. Active communities provide

updates, bug fixes, and a wealth of resources, including tutorials

and forums.

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5. Licensing and cost: Evaluate the licensing models and costs

associated with the tools. Some tools may offer free or open-

source versions, while others require commercial licenses. If the

tool is free then no problem.

6. Reporting and documentation: Check the reporting capabilities

of the tools. Robust reporting features help in generating

comprehensive reports that communicate the findings effectively.

7. Remember that penetration testing tools are only one component

of a successful penetration testing process. The skills and

expertise of the tester are equally important in effectively

identifying and addressing security vulnerabilities.

Conclusion:

Penetration testing tools play a vital role in assessing the security

posture of computer systems and networks.

By utilizing the right tools for network scanning, web

application testing, password cracking, and wireless network testing,

security professionals can identify vulnerabilities and take appropriate

measures to enhance the overall security.

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Remember to carefully evaluate your testing requirements and

consider factors such as features, user-friendliness, community

support, and cost when selecting the tools.

Stay updated with the latest tools and techniques in the field to ensure

comprehensive and effective penetration testing.

I hope you guys love this blog.

If you like it, then don’t forget to follow, subscribe and claps.

I’ll see you with next article.

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Thanks for reading

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