Top Best 100 Ethical Hacking Tools, Where to download them, and what it is used for.
Ethical hacking, also known as white hat hacking, identifies vulnerabilities in computer systems and networks to prevent cyberattacks. To perform ethical hacking, various tools are used, ranging from network scanning to password cracking. This article will cover the 100 best ethical hacking tools, categorizing each tool into categories based on their function.
100 ethical hacking tools, categorized based on their function, as follows: Get Exposure to 3500 ethical hacking tools and also below tools in the certified ethical hacker training program. Learn to apply the major important ones in CEH certification hands-on labs.
A. Network Scanning Tools:
1. Nmap — A popular and powerful network exploration and security auditing tool. Available for download at https://nmap.org/download.html
2. Angry IP Scanner — A fast, easy-to-use IP address and port scanner. Available for download at https://angryip.org/download/
3. Zenmap — A graphical user interface for the Nmap network exploration and security auditing tool. Available for download as part of the Nmap package at https://nmap.org/download.html
4. Advanced IP Scanner — A network scanner that allows users to find and analyze devices connected to a local network easily. Available for download at https://www.advanced-ip-scanner.com/
5. Fping — A command-line tool used to ping testing multiple hosts simultaneously. Available for download at https://fping.org/
6. SuperScan — A powerful TCP port scanner, pinger, and hostname resolver. Available for download at https://www.mcafee.com/enterprise/en-us/downloads/free-tools/superscan.html
7. Unicornscan — A fast and reliable network scanning tool that uses asynchronous transmission for maximum efficiency. Available for download at https://sourceforge.net/projects/unicornscan/
8. Netcat — A simple yet powerful networking tool for reading and writing network connections. Available for download at https://netcat.sourceforge.net/
9. NetScanTools — A network security and administration tool suite including network scanners, port scanners, and more. Available for download at https://www.netscantools.com/nstpromain.html
10. Nessus — A comprehensive vulnerability scanner used for network and web application security testing. Available for download at https://www.tenable.com/products/nessus/nessus-professional
B. Password Cracking Tools:
1. John the Ripper — A password-cracking tool that uses dictionary attacks and brute force methods. It can be downloaded from its official website.
2. Hashcat — A popular password-cracking tool that supports various algorithms and attack types. It can be downloaded from its official website.
3. Cain and Abel — A password recovery tool for Microsoft Windows, which can recover various passwords using different methods. It can be downloaded from its official website.
4. RainbowCrack — A password-cracking tool that uses rainbow tables to crack passwords. It can be downloaded from its official website.
5. Aircrack-ng — A network software suite that includes a password-cracking tool for Wi-Fi networks. It can be downloaded from its official website.
6. Hydra — A password-cracking tool that supports various network protocols and services. It can be downloaded from its official website.
7. THC Hydra — A parallelized login cracker that supports various protocols and services. It can be downloaded from its official website.
8. Medusa — A password-cracking tool that supports different attacks and protocols. It can be downloaded from its official website.
9. Brutus — A remote password cracker that supports various protocols and services. It can be downloaded from its official website.
10. L0phtCrack — A password auditing and recovery tool for Windows. It can be downloaded from its official website.
C. Exploitation Tools:
1. Metasploit — A popular framework for developing and executing exploits against target systems. Download at https://www.metasploit.com/
2. Burp Suite — An integrated platform for performing security testing of web applications. Download at https://portswigger.net/burp/communitydownload
3. Canvas — A commercial exploit development framework offering a range of penetration testing tools. Download at https://www.immunityinc.com/products/canvas/
4. Core Impact — A commercial penetration testing tool that includes a range of modules for exploit development and vulnerability testing. Download at https://www.coresecurity.com/products/core-impact
5. Social-Engineer Toolkit (SET) — A penetration testing framework that includes a variety of tools for social engineering attacks. Download at https://github.com/trustedsec/social-engineer-toolkit
6. Beef — A browser exploitation framework that allows for testing vulnerabilities in web browsers. Download at https://beefproject.com/
7. PowerSploit — A collection of PowerShell modules that can conduct post-exploitation activities on Windows systems. Download at https://github.com/PowerShellMafia/PowerSploit
8. SQLMap — An open-source penetration testing tool that automates the process of detecting and exploiting SQL injection vulnerabilities. Download at https://github.com/sqlmapproject/sqlmap
9. Armitage — A graphical user interface for the Metasploit framework that provides a range of tools for penetration testing. Download at https://www.fastandeasyhacking.com/
10. Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) — An open-source web application security testing tool that includes a range of features for finding and exploiting vulnerabilities. Download at https://www.zaproxy.org/getting-started/
D. Packet Sniffing and Spoofing Tools:
1. Wireshark — A network protocol analyzer that captures and displays packets in real-time and allows for deep inspection of hundreds of protocols. Download at https://www.wireshark.org/.
2. tcpdump — A command-line packet analyzer that captures and displays network traffic in real time. It is available for download at https://www.tcpdump.org/.
3. Ettercap — A comprehensive suite for man-in-the-middle attacks, including ARP poisoning, sniffing, and session hijacking. Download at https://ettercap.github.io/ettercap/.
4. Cain and Abel — A tool for network protocol analysis, password cracking, and ARP spoofing. It can be downloaded from http://www.oxid.it/cain.html.
5. Bettercap — A complete, modular, portable, and easily extensible MITM tool and framework with every diagnostic and offensive feature one would need to perform a man-in-the-middle attack. Download at https://github.com/bettercap/bettercap.
6. Snort — A free, open-source network intrusion detection system that includes real-time traffic analysis and packet logging. Download at https://www.snort.org/downloads.
7. Ngrep — A command-line network packet analyzer that filters packets based on regular expressions. Download at https://github.com/jpr5/ngrep.
8. NetworkMiner — A network forensic analysis tool for Windows that captures packets, parses them, and displays relevant information. Download at https://www.netresec.com/?page=NetworkMiner.
9. Hping — A command-line packet crafting tool that can send, receive, and manipulate IP packets. Download at http://www.hping.org/.
10. Nemesis — A command-line packet injection tool that allows the user to craft and send custom network packets. It can be downloaded from https://github.com/libnet/nemesis.
E. Wireless Hacking Tools:
1. Aircrack-ng: A suite of tools to assess Wi-Fi network security can crack WEP and WPA-PSK keys. Download at https://www.aircrack-ng.org/downloads.html
2. Wifite: An automated wireless attack tool, targets WEP, WPA, and WPS encrypted networks. Download at https://github.com/derv82/wifite2
3. Kismet: A wireless network detector, sniffer, and intrusion detection system. Download at https://www.kismetwireless.org/downloads/
4. Wireshark: A network protocol analyzer that captures and displays packets in real-time. Download at https://www.wireshark.org/download.html
5. Reaver: A tool for brute-forcing WPS (WiFi Protected Setup) PINs to recover WPA/WPA2 passphrases. Download at https://tools.kali.org/wireless-attacks/reaver
6. Fern WiFi Cracker: A wireless security auditing and attack software program. Download at https://github.com/savio-code/fern-wifi-cracker
7. Bully: A WPS brute-force attack tool, capable of exploiting a vulnerability in the WPS PIN authentication process. Download at https://github.com/aanarchyy/bully
8. Cowpatty: A pre-computed WPA/WPA2-PSK PMK file generator, used for offline dictionary attacks. Download at https://github.com/joswr1ght/cowpatty
9. InSSIDer: A wireless network scanner and troubleshooting tool, that helps identify signal strength, interference, and access point locations. Download at https://www.metageek.com/products/inssider/
10. NetStumbler: A Windows-based wireless network detection tool, used to detect 802.11a/b/g wireless LANs. Download at https://www.techspot.com/downloads/1794-netstumbler.html
F. Web Application Hacking Tools:
1. OWASP ZAP — OWASP ZAP is an open-source web application security scanner. It is designed to be used by people with a wide range of security experience and as such is ideal for developers and functional testers who are new to penetration testing. Download link: https://www.zaproxy.org/download/
2. Burp Suite — Burp Suite is a powerful web application testing tool. It includes a scanner for identifying vulnerabilities, an intercepting proxy for manually testing requests and responses, and numerous other tools. Download link: https://portswigger.net/burp/communitydownload
3. Sqlmap — Sqlmap is an open-source penetration testing tool that automates the process of detecting and exploiting SQL injection flaws. Download link: https://github.com/sqlmapproject/sqlmap/releases
4. Nikto — Nikto is an open-source web server scanner that performs comprehensive tests against web servers for multiple items, including over 6700 potentially dangerous files/programs. Download link: https://github.com/sullo/nikto/releases
5. Skipfish — Skipfish is a fast and powerful web application scanner that can detect common vulnerabilities. Download link: https://github.com/spinkham/skipfish/releases
6. Acunetix — Acunetix is a web vulnerability scanner that automatically checks web applications for SQL injection, Cross-Site Scripting, and other vulnerabilities. Download link: https://www.acunetix.com/download/
7. Grendel-Scan — Grendel-Scan is an open-source web application security testing tool that scans web applications for vulnerabilities, including SQL injection, Cross-Site Scripting, and other vulnerabilities. Download link: https://sourceforge.net/projects/grendel-scan/
8. Vega — Vega is a free and open-source web security testing platform that includes an automated scanner for testing common vulnerabilities. Download link: https://subgraph.com/vega/download/index.en.html
9. WebScarab — WebScarab is an open-source web application testing tool that provides a proxy for intercepting and modifying HTTP requests and responses. Download link: https://sourceforge.net/projects/webscarab/
10. IronWASP — IronWASP is an open-source web application security testing platform that includes an automated scanner for identifying common vulnerabilities. Download link: https://ironwaspsuite.com/
G. Forensic Tools:
1. EnCase: A commercial computer forensic tool used to acquire and analyze digital evidence. It is available for download at https://www.guidancesoftware.com/encase-forensic
2. Autopsy: A free and open-source digital forensics platform that provides a web interface to perform forensic investigations. It is available for download at https://www.autopsy.com/download/
3. SIFT: A free open-source forensic toolkit developed by SANS to perform incident response and forensic analysis. It can be downloaded at https://digital-forensics.sans.org/community/downloads
4. FTK: A commercial forensic tool for data acquisition and analysis. It is available for download at https://accessdata.com/products-services/forensic-toolkit-ftk
5. X-Ways Forensics: A commercial forensic tool that offers data carving, file viewing, and disk imaging features. It is available for download at https://www.x-ways.net/winhex/license.html
6. Helix: A live Linux CD that provides digital forensic tools. It is available for download at https://www.e-fense.com/helix/
7. Foremost: A Linux-based data recovery and forensic tool. It is available for download at https://github.com/jonstewart/foremost
8. Scalpel: A file carving tool used to recover files from damaged or formatted disk partitions. It is available for download at https://github.com/sleuthkit/scalpel
9. The Sleuth Kit: A collection of command-line tools used to analyze disk images and recover deleted files. It can be downloaded at https://www.sleuthkit.org/sleuthkit/download.php
10. CAINE: A Linux-based live CD that provides a comprehensive forensic environment. It can be downloaded at https://www.caine-live.net/
H. Social Engineering Tools:
1. Social-Engineer Toolkit (SET): An open-source Python-based tool for creating social engineering attacks, available for download at https://github.com/trustedsec/social-engineer-toolkit
2. BeEF: A browser exploitation framework for launching attacks such as phishing and cross-site scripting (XSS), available for download at https://github.com/beefproject/beef
3. King Phisher: A tool for simulating real-world phishing attacks, available for download at https://github.com/securestate/king-phisher
4. Maltego: A data mining tool for conducting online investigations and gathering information about individuals and organizations, available for download at https://www.maltego.com/downloads/
5. Wifiphisher: A rogue access point framework for conducting wireless network phishing attacks, available for download at https://github.com/wifiphisher/wifiphisher
6. ReelPhish: A phishing toolkit that simplifies the process of creating and hosting phishing pages, available for download at https://github.com/fireeye/ReelPhish
7. Evilginx: A tool for bypassing two-factor authentication and session hijacking, available for download at https://github.com/kgretzky/evilginx
8. Ghost Phisher: A phishing toolkit that includes multiple attack vectors, available for download at https://github.com/savio-code/ghost-phisher
9. GoPhish: A phishing toolkit that allows for easy creation and execution of phishing campaigns, available for download at https://github.com/gophish/gophish
10. Credential Harvester Attack: A component of the Metasploit Framework for harvesting usernames and passwords, available for download as part of the Metasploit Framework at https://metasploit.com/
I. Vulnerability Scanning Tools:
1. Nessus: A comprehensive vulnerability scanning tool that scans networks and systems for vulnerabilities and provides detailed reports. It is available for download at https://www.tenable.com/downloads/nessus.
2. OpenVAS: An open-source vulnerability scanner that can scan networks, web applications, and databases. It is available for download at https://openvas.org/download.html.
3. Retina: A vulnerability scanner that can scan networks, web applications, and databases. It is available for download at https://www.beyondtrust.com/products/retina-vulnerability-scanner/download.
4. Acunetix: A web application vulnerability scanner that can scan for various vulnerabilities. It is available for download at https://www.acunetix.com/download/.
5. QualysGuard: A cloud-based vulnerability scanner that can scan networks, web applications, and databases. It is available for download at https://www.qualys.com/forms/freescan/.
6. Nexpose: A vulnerability scanner that can scan networks, web applications, and databases. It is available for download at https://www.rapid7.com/products/nexpose/download/.
7. SAINT: A vulnerability scanner that can scan networks, web applications, and databases. It is available for download at https://www.saintcorporation.com/download.
8. Nikto: A web server vulnerability scanner that can scan for a wide range of vulnerabilities. It is available for download at https://cirt.net/Nikto2.
9. GFI LanGuard: A vulnerability scanner that can scan networks, web applications, and databases. It is available for download at https://www.gfi.com/products-and-solutions/network-security-solutions/gfi-languard/download.
10. HP WebInspect: A web application vulnerability scanner that can scan for various vulnerabilities. It is available for download at https://www.microfocus.com/en-us/products/webinspect-dynamic-application-security-testing/overview.
J. Miscellaneous Tools:
1. Netcat: a network utility tool used for reading or writing data across network connections. Download at: https://eternallybored.org/misc/netcat/
2. OpenSSL: a cryptography toolkit implementing the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols. Download at: https://www.openssl.org/
3. John the Ripper Jumbo: a password-cracking tool that can automatically detect password hash types and perform dictionary, hybrid, and brute-force attacks. Download at: https://github.com/magnumripper/JohnTheRipper
4. Pcredz: a tool to extract and decode passwords from Windows Credentials Manager and extract and parse data from Windows Vault. Download at: https://github.com/lgandx/PCredz
5. RainbowCrack: a tool that uses rainbow tables to crack password hashes. Download at: https://project-rainbowcrack.com/
6. Rainbow Tables: precomputed tables used for reversing cryptographic hash functions, commonly used for password cracking. Download at: https://project-rainbowcrack.com/
7. L0phtCrack: a password auditing and recovery application. Download at: https://www.l0phtcrack.com/
8. Cain and Abel: a multi-purpose password recovery and cracking tool for Microsoft Windows. Download at: https://www.oxid.it/cain.html
9. Mimikatz: a tool for obtaining Windows credentials, such as plaintext passwords and Kerberos tickets. Download at: https://github.com/gentilkiwi/mimikatz/releases
10. Sysinternals Suite: a suite of tools designed for system administration, monitoring, and troubleshooting on Windows. Download at: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sysinternals-suite
It is important to note that while these tools can be used for ethical hacking purposes, they can also be used maliciously. Using these tools responsibly and in accordance with legal and ethical standards is essential. Additionally, it is highly recommended that individuals who use these tools for ethical hacking should obtain the necessary certification and training of Certified Ethical Hackers. Certified ethical hacker training program makes you familiar with 3500 hacking tools. And also how to use the majority of important ones in real-world scenarios. Implementing them in job environment situations.