Top 20 Ethical Hacking Tools You Should Master in 2023

As we race into 2024, arming yourself with the latest ethical hacking know-how could make all the difference in protecting businesses, organizations, and even personal data from digital threats. Ethical hackers use hacking tools and techniques to probe weaknesses in systems before malicious actors can exploit them.

Mastering the latest ethical hacking tools should be on every IT professional’s radar. Knowing how to wield these utilities can help you fortify defenses and stay steps ahead of cybercriminals. This list of 20 essential, up-to-date tools will give your ethical hacking skills a boost.

We’ll cut to the chase and break down the top 20 ethical hacking tools you need to have in your arsenal. From reconnaissance and scanning to gaining access and maintaining persistence, these tools cover the entire penetration testing spectrum. 

With this utility belt, you’ll be geared up to put systems through their paces, spotlight vulnerabilities, and recommend remediating actions. Let’s dive in and equip you to take your ethical hacking prowess to the next level.

Top 20 Ethical Hacking Tools

Below, we dive into the top 20 ethical hacking tools you need to get up to speed on if you want to get ahead in this field. We’ll walk through the most popular software and hardware used by white hat hackers to carry out penetration tests and simulations. So read on to find out the top 20 ethical hacking tools you should wrap your head around and add to your arsenal!

1. Invicti

Invicti is a powerful web application security scanner that is taking the cybersecurity world by storm. Developed by security experts, Invicti leverages cutting-edge Proof-Based Scanning Technology to detect vulnerabilities with unparalleled accuracy. What sets Invicti apart is its ability to automatically detect URL rewrite rules, custom 404 error pages, and other obfuscation techniques that hackers use to hide vulnerabilities.

The beauty of Invicti lies in its simplicity. It requires minimal configuration and can scale to scan thousands of web applications in just 24 hours. The dashboard provides an intuitive overview of scan results, along with remediation guidance. Invicti also boasts advanced reporting features, allowing security teams to demonstrate progress to stakeholders and auditors.

But it’s not just the technology that makes Invicti special. Pricing starts at an affordable $4,500 per year for smaller businesses, with enterprise pricing up to $26,600 for large-scale deployments. Invicti offers a SaaS delivery model, meaning no hardware or software to install. Everything runs seamlessly via the cloud.

For companies struggling to keep up with AppSec testing, Invicti provides a user-friendly and cost-effective solution. The REST API enables easy integration with SDLC pipelines and bug-tracking tools. In essence, Invicti automates and simplifies the process of securing web applications.

2. Fortify WebInspect

Fortify WebInspect by OpenText is an automated web application security testing tool that can help organizations thoroughly test the dynamic behavior of their web apps and APIs. Going beyond just scanning code, WebInspect interacts with web apps the same way hackers would – allowing it to identify vulnerabilities that only arise from certain user behaviors or input.

Some key capabilities of Fortify WebInspect include:

• Fuzzing and attack modeling to uncover hidden flaws
• Advanced penetration testing techniques
• Powerful automation features for easy testing
• Detailed vulnerability reports and remediation guidance

With a library of over 8,000 web app vulnerabilities, WebInspect can find a wide range of issues from SQL injection to cross-site scripting in even complex modern web architectures.

In addition to its dynamic scanning engine, Fortify WebInspect provides a central platform to manage the entire web app security testing program across the software development lifecycle. Some of its key features include:

• Tracking of vulnerabilities across environments
• Trend analysis on vulnerability data
• Workflow automation from scan to remediation
• Integration with developer IDEs
• Customized reporting for compliance

Fortify WebInspect provides enterprise-grade dynamic application security testing capabilities that were previously only accessible to large security teams. With pricing starting around $29,500, it makes this advanced security accessible for medium and smaller organizations as well.

The automation, scans, and integrations enabled by Fortify WebInspect provide a scalable way for companies to identify and fix vulnerabilities in their web apps before criminals can exploit them. Prioritizing web app security is key in today’s threat landscape, and Fortify WebInspect offers an efficient solution.

3. Cain & Abel

Cain & Abel is a popular password recovery tool that has been around for over 20 years. Developed by Massimiliano Montoro, this tool can quickly uncover and crack encrypted passwords through various methods like brute-force attacks, dictionary attacks, and cryptanalysis attacks.

Despite being free and open source, Cain & Abel is quite powerful. It can recover passwords for many applications like MSN Messenger, Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista, Cisco IOS, SAM files, and more. The sniffer feature allows capturing network traffic to extract credentials being passed in plain text.

While useful for ethical security testing, Cain & Abel has also been misused by black hat hackers to break into systems. The accessibility and power of this tool make it infamous among the hacking community.

Over the years, Cain & Abel has been updated with new features and attacks to crack longer and more complex passwords. For admins and security professionals, it highlights the importance of using strong password policies and encryption to prevent unauthorized access.

4. Nmap

Nmap, short for Network Mapper, is considered the gold standard for network scanning and reconnaissance by ethical hackers. Originating on Linux and Unix systems, Nmap is now available across platforms.

At its core, Nmap allows in-depth discovery and security probing of networks and hosts. It builds a map of the network by sending carefully crafted packets and analyzing the responses. This reveals what devices and services are running as well as potential vulnerabilities.

Nmap has a wide range of advanced features useful for hackers and security professionals:

• Port scanning detects open ports on hosts, revealing potential attack vectors. Stealth options make scanning less detectable.
• OS detection fingerprints the operating systems of devices on the network. Versions can be detected to find outdated software with security holes.
• The scripting engine extends Nmap’s capabilities, from scanning for vulnerabilities to brute force login cracking. Hundreds of scripts are available.
• Useful packet crafting allows spoofing and other techniques to avoid firewalls and evade intrusion detection. Traffic can be shaped to match network conditions.

Despite its power, Nmap is flexible enough for novice users. It has a simple command structure with sensible defaults and many output options from plain text to graphical. GUI versions are available, but most serious users work from the command line.

With its advanced detection and versatility, Nmap remains a critical tool for ethical hacking and network reconnaissance two decades after its release. No security pro would hack a network without Nmap in their toolkit. It’s the first tool to reach for when starting a penetration test engagement.

5. Nessus

Nessus is one of the most widely used vulnerability scanners in the field of ethical hacking and network security. Originally created by Renaud Deraison in 1998, Nessus was acquired by Tenable Network Security in 2005.

Although Nessus offers paid versions for enterprise use, it also has a free version that is highly recommended for personal and non-commercial applications. Nessus efficiently scans systems and networks to identify security flaws and potential vulnerabilities, including:

• Unpatched services and misconfigurations that could be exploited by attackers
• Weak or default passwords that could allow unauthorized access
• Known software and system vulnerabilities that need to be addressed and fixed

One of the main benefits of Nessus is its comprehensive vulnerability database that is continuously updated by Tenable’s security research team. This allows Nessus to stay on top of emerging threats and zero-day exploits.

Overall, Nessus is a powerful tool that can help security professionals, system administrators, and hobbyists alike to proactively tighten up security and identify weaknesses before they are exploited by malicious actors.

6. Nikto

Nikto is an open-source web server scanner that identifies outdated software and potential security issues on web servers. Developed by CIRT.net, Nikto is a popular tool for web penetration testing and hardening.

Key features of Nikto include:

• Automated scanning: Nikto scans web servers for known vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. It has a database of over 6700 potentially dangerous files and programs.
• Version detection: Nikto detects outdated software versions that may contain publicly known exploits. It can scan multiple ports and HTTPS sites.
• Flexible output: Scan results can be output in standard text, CSV, JSON, or XML. Useful for reporting and integration.
• Regular updates: The Nikto plugin database is updated regularly with new checks, keeping it effective at finding security flaws.
• Customization: Checks can be tuned via a config file. Exclusions and other tweaks allow focusing scans.

Nikto is frequently used by web admins and security professionals to audit servers for security best practices. It complements web app scanners by checking the underlying software. Nikto is a valuable tool for staying on top of vulnerabilities and keeping web infrastructure secure.

7. Kismet

Kismet is considered one of the best tools used by ethical hackers to test the security of wireless networks. This open-source program can passively monitor Wi-Fi networks, collecting important packets of data that reveal vulnerabilities.

Unlike some sniffers, Kismet is able to detect networks that don’t broadcast SSIDs. By compiling traffic and beacon data, Kismet builds a survey of all detectable wireless networks in an area. It identifies the network names, encryption types, numbers of clients, and other key details. All this information aids ethical hackers in identifying weak spots and flaws.

A major reason Kismet is so popular for Wi-Fi auditing is that it works well with a variety of wireless cards and supports raw monitoring mode. 

Kismet functions best on Linux operating systems like Ubuntu or BackTrack. There are limited Windows versions available, but Linux enables more flexibility.

For white-hat hackers, Kismet remains an essential tool for evaluating the security of wireless networks. Both IT professionals and cybersecurity researchers can leverage Kismet to detect vulnerabilities and highlight risks.

8. NetStumbler

NetStumbler is a popular wireless network scanning tool used by ethical hackers and network administrators. Originally created in 2001, it allows users to detect and identify weaknesses in wireless networks using the Windows operating system.

NetStumbler works by passively listening for IEEE 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11a wireless network traffic. It can pick up on the network name (SSID), signal strength, and configuration details of access points within range. This allows the user to map the coverage area of wireless networks and spot potential security vulnerabilities.

Key uses of NetStumbler as an ethical hacking tool:

• Detecting unauthorized or misconfigured access points. NetStumbler makes it easy to visually map nearby WiFi networks, which is useful for finding rogue access points.
• Checking WiFi signal strength and interference. The software can pinpoint dead zones and areas with weak wireless coverage.
• Gathering details on wireless network configurations. NetStumbler passively gathers SSID, channel, encryption, and other settings.
• Wardriving prevention. Mapping your own WiFi coverage helps protect against wardrivers detecting and exploiting weaknesses.

While extremely popular in the early 2000s, NetStumbler is now outdated. The creator stopped developing it in 2007. Newer tools like inSSIDer and WiFi Analyzer offer more advanced WiFi scanning capabilities. However, NetStumbler remains a useful ethical hacking tool for the Windows environment.

9. Acunetix

Acunetix is an automated web vulnerability scanner used by security professionals to identify weaknesses in web applications. With comprehensive scanning capabilities and detailed reporting, Acunetix has become an essential tool for web security.

What makes Acunetix stand out is its ability to detect over 4500 types of web vulnerabilities, far more than competing products. It can find all variations of cross-site scripting, SQL injection, and other critical flaws that could allow hackers to compromise a website.

Acunetix also supports the latest web technologies, including JavaScript, HTML5, and single-page applications. Many vulnerability scanners struggle with complex modern websites, but Acunetix can audit even authenticated web apps by logging in with real user credentials.

Once scanning is complete, Acunetix generates actionable reports to help prioritize patching based on risk severity. Results can also be exported to integrate with other security platforms, streamlining workflows.

With its depth of coverage, accuracy, and ease of use, Acunetix provides comprehensive web security auditing for companies and security professionals. Regular scans can identify vulnerabilities before they are exploited by attackers. For effective web security testing, Acunetix is an essential tool.

10. Netsparker

Netsparker is a smart security scanner that helps identify vulnerabilities in web applications and APIs. Unlike typical scanners that produce lots of false positives, Netsparker uses advanced proof-based scanning to verify the vulnerabilities it detects.

Netsparker mimics real-world hacking techniques to identify critical issues like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and misconfigurations. Its intelligent engine understands the context and flow of web apps to cover more attack surfaces.  

Key features include:

• Proof-based scanning: Verifies vulnerabilities are real, drastically reducing false positives.
• Intelligent engine: Simulates hackers and understands web app logic to maximize coverage.  
• API scanning: Tests web APIs for security flaws. Critical as APIs become ubiquitous.
• Powerful reporting: Detailed, customizable reports to help prioritize and explain findings.
• Windows and SaaS options: Available as installable software or easily scalable cloud service.

With breaches hitting headlines daily, the website and mobile app testing provided by Netsparker delivers peace of mind. The proof-based scanning and intelligent technology make it efficient at exposing vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them.

11. Intruder

This automated scanner searches for thousands of vulnerabilities, from missing patches to web app flaws like cross-site scripting. It scans infrastructure both on-premises and in the cloud, identifying risks across your attack surface.  

Intruder doesn’t just find weaknesses – it helps you fix them. The tool explains vulnerabilities in clear language and provides actionable remediation guidance. It also automatically prioritizes the most critical risks, enabling you to focus on what matters most.

Streamlined integration with Slack, Jira, and major cloud platforms makes it easy to incorporate scans into your workflows. Security teams get real-time notifications of new threats, developers fix coded flaws, and system admins patch and harden infrastructure.

Regular scans with Intruder allow you to identify and address vulnerabilities before attackers can exploit them. Automating this critical process reduces risk, lightens workloads, and helps demonstrate security due diligence.

12. Metasploit

Metasploit is one of the most popular free and open-source frameworks used by cybersecurity professionals for penetration testing and ethical hacking. Originally created in 2003, Metasploit has evolved into an essential tool for identifying security vulnerabilities in networks and systems.

At its core, Metasploit helps security researchers develop and execute exploit code against remote target systems. The framework provides a robust library of pre-built exploits, payloads, and other tools that simplify the process of uncovering weaknesses before malicious hackers can take advantage of them.

While the open-source Metasploit Framework offers a wealth of capabilities, Metasploit Pro is a commercial product that includes additional features such as an intuitive user interface, collaboration tools, and evasion capabilities to help slip past anti-virus and intrusion detection systems.

For ethical hackers and cybersecurity students interested in getting hands-on penetration testing experience, Metasploit’s flexible architecture allows in-depth customization for simulating real-world attacks. Detailed reporting helps demonstrate vulnerabilities to clients and highlight important issues to address.

With its active community contributing exploits and modules, Metasploit continues to be an indispensable Swiss army knife for lawful and authorized security testing. Its feature set and extensibility make Metasploit a go-to tool for cybersecurity professionals looking to proactively strengthen defenses.

13. Aircrack-Ng

As wireless networks become more prevalent, evaluating their security is crucial. Aircrack-Ng is an open-source suite of tools for auditing the security of 802.11 wireless networks. Developed for Linux, Aircrack-Ng is used by ethical hackers and network administrators to assess Wi-Fi vulnerabilities.

Aircrack-Ng can monitor wireless networks, capture packets, export data, crack WEP and WPA2-PSK passwords through brute force or dictionary attacks, and test Wi-Fi card chipsets. It supports many platforms, including Windows, Linux, OS X, BSD, and Solaris.

Key features:

• Monitor and capture wireless packets to export for analysis.
• Crack WEP keys by exploiting flaws in the RC4 encryption algorithm.
• Use brute force or dictionary attacks to crack WPA/WPA2 pre-shared keys.
• Test Wi-Fi card chipsets to identify those capable of packet injection for attacks.

Aircrack-Ng provides penetration testers and network admins with a toolkit for auditing their Wi-Fi security. By ethically hacking networks with Aircrack-Ng, weaknesses can be identified and addressed before malicious actors exploit them. With wireless usage increasing, regularly evaluating network security is essential.

14. Wireshark

For anyone working in networking or cybersecurity, Wireshark is an essential tool. This open-source packet analyzer allows you to capture and inspect network traffic in great detail. With Wireshark, you can dig deep into hundreds of protocols to troubleshoot network issues, debug protocol implementations, and analyze security threats.

Some of the key features that make Wireshark invaluable:

• Live capture and offline analysis: Sniff packets off the wire or load capture files for post-incident analysis. Wireshark puts the full power of deep inspection at your fingertips.
• Rich protocol analysis: Wireshark understands hundreds of protocols in incredible detail. It parses and displays structured packet data for easy analysis. Quickly filter captures to zoom in on traffic of interest.
• Powerful display filters: Create complex filters only to show the packets you need. Search for protocol events, errors, and MAC addresses – the options are extensive.
• Cross-platform support: Official packages are available for Windows, Linux, and macOS. Wireshark can analyze captures from all environments.
• Customizable packet color coding: Visually pick out important events or errors. Define your own coloring rules for a customized analysis view.
• Output options: Save your analysis results in various formats like plaintext, XML, CSV, and more.

With its rich feature set and expert protocol support, Wireshark is a go-to tool for any network pro. It takes packet analysis to the next level for hunting down tough performance and security issues.

15. OpenVAS

OpenVAS is an open-source vulnerability scanner that is widely used by security professionals to identify weaknesses in IT systems. Originally developed under the name GNessUs, OpenVAS was forked in 2005 and continues to be actively developed by the Greenbone Networks company.

One of the main advantages of OpenVAS is its comprehensive coverage of vulnerabilities. It includes over 50,000 Network Vulnerability Tests (NVTs) that allow it to detect weaknesses in a wide variety of devices and applications. From operating systems like Windows and Linux to databases, web applications, and industrial control systems, OpenVAS has tests to uncover common misconfigurations and flaws.

Another key capability is OpenVAS’s support for authenticated scanning. Unlike scanners that only check externally visible vulnerabilities, OpenVAS can perform comprehensive tests when supplied with valid credentials. This allows deeper inspection of things like services running on internal servers.

A powerful scripting engine provides extensibility for advanced users to create custom tests tailored to their environment. Plugins can also add support for new protocols by leveraging OpenVAS’s libraries.

For large enterprises, OpenVAS offers distributed scanning capabilities for high performance and scalability. Multiple instances can be deployed to scan large networks, and a central manager aggregates the results.

With its broad vulnerability coverage, authentication support, and scalability features, OpenVAS is an excellent open-source option for vulnerability management at organizations of all sizes.

16. SQLMap

SQLMap is a powerful open-source tool that automates the detection and exploitation of SQL injection vulnerabilities. With SQLMap, security researchers and ethical hackers can identify weaknesses in web applications and take over the underlying databases.

SQLMap supports over a dozen techniques for injecting malicious SQL payloads, including boolean blind injection, time delays, and stacked queries. It can determine the backend database type, extract data, read files, execute commands, and much more.

What makes SQLMap stand out is its flexibility. It can connect directly to the database and dump contents. Or it can work completely blind without access by fingerprinting responses. SQLMap also evades detection by using various obfuscation techniques.

For penetration testers, SQLMap is invaluable for proving the impact of SQL injection bugs. The amount of access and data it provides is unparalleled. And it requires no complex manual exploitation. With a single command, SQLMap can take over the whole database.

Despite being free and open source, SQLMap offers power on par with commercial tools. Its community of contributors has made it the most comprehensive SQL injection tool available. For those on the front lines of application security, SQLMap is a must-have weapon.

17. Ettercap

Ettercap is a versatile open-source network tool used by ethical hackers and security professionals. This utility Swiss army knife allows users to spy on live connections, perform content filtering, and conduct detailed network analysis.

With Ettercap’s comprehensive protocol support, security testers can dissect and intercept communications over many common protocols, including TCP, UDP, ICMP, and ARP. Ettercap provides a modular plugin framework so developers can create custom protocol dissectors and attacks tailored to their testing needs.

A key feature of Ettercap is its ability to inject malicious content into web traffic on the fly. The man-in-the-middle attacks allow testers to swap out images, replace text, or insert iframes into visited web pages. This makes Ettercap ideal for demonstrating risks from open wireless networks or other network infrastructure vulnerabilities.

For passive analysis, Ettercap can produce detailed network statistics and activity graphs. It can also log interesting data to file for later review. Taken together, these capabilities make Ettercap a versatile tool for network admins and security professionals. Whether actively attacking or passively sniffing, Ettercap brings network hacking agility.

18. Maltego

Maltego is a powerful tool for connecting the dots in massive datasets. With its interactive visual interface, Maltego allows investigators to uncover hidden relationships and gain new insights.

Available in several pricing tiers, Maltego integrates smoothly with hundreds of data sources. It can automate searching, filtering, and aggregating information across the deep and dark web. The software maps out complex networks, visualizing associations between people, groups, websites, domains, documents, and infrastructure.

Key features include real-time data mining, graphing, and analysis. Maltego reveals the structures and patterns lurking within datasets. It transforms random bits of information into an intelligence picture. With Maltego, analysts can identify key relationships faster and more accurately.

Whether hunting down cybercriminals or building business intelligence, Maltego helps solve the puzzle. It is the go-to tool for stitching fragments into a coherent whole. Maltego brings clarity to chaos.

19. Burp Suite

Burp Suite by PortSwigger is one of the most popular web vulnerability scanners used by cybersecurity professionals. Available in free and paid versions, Burp Suite helps identify security weaknesses in web applications.

The free Community edition of Burp Suite offers key features like intercepting and modifying requests, a repeater tool to resend requests manually, and a Spider tool for crawling web apps.

For more advanced functionality, Burp Suite Professional starts at $399 per user/per year. Professional builds on the Community edition by adding scan scheduling, CI integration, audit trail of issues, and more.

At the high end, Burp Suite Enterprise starts at $3,999/year. It includes features like scanning Ruby on Rails apps, offline analysis, and multi-user collaboration.

A key capability of Burp Suite is using out-of-band techniques to find vulnerabilities that scanners relying on in-band techniques may miss. This allows it to cover a wider range of vulnerabilities.

With its comprehensive features and scalable pricing tiers, Burp Suite is regarded as a leading web security testing tool. Its advanced detection capabilities and automation features explain its popularity among information security professionals.

20. John the Ripper

John the Ripper is a free password-cracking tool originally created for Unix systems. It has since expanded to other platforms like Windows and DOS. John the Ripper is popular among security professionals for testing password strength and finding weak passwords.

This customizable tool comes bundled with several different password crackers to handle various encryption methods. It can perform dictionary attacks by trying common words and combinations from its word lists. John the Ripper also does brute force cracking by trying every possible password combination.

Beyond just cracking passwords, John the Ripper has useful features like detecting password types and rules used to generate passwords. This helps focus cracking attempts on the most probable passwords first. It can also test large numbers of encrypted passwords at once.

With its array of password attacks and encryption methods, John the Ripper is one of the most versatile open-source password testing tools available. It’s a great way for system administrators to find weak passwords before malicious hackers do. The free software and active development community make John the Ripper a valuable asset for any security toolkit.

Conclusion

Mastering these 20 ethical hacking tools can give any IT professional or aspiring cybersecurity expert a major leg up in 2023. Learning how to properly utilize tools like Metasploit, Nmap, Aircrack-ng, and Burp Suite will enable you to effectively test networks and systems, find vulnerabilities, simulate attacks, and gain valuable insight into the operation of various technologies. 

The cybersecurity landscape can seem overwhelming, but with proper training and hands-on experience using these top ethical hacking tools, anyone can gain the skills needed to help protect our digital world.

CCS Learning Academy offers comprehensive ethical hacking and penetration testing courses that will give you that training and experience. Learn from expert instructors, get access to real-world projects and challenges, and become confident using these go-to hacking tools. Give your IT or cybersecurity career a boost – enroll in a course at CCS Learning Academy today!

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