8 Top-Notch Penetration Testing Tools

Wouldn’t it be fun if an organization hired you to hack its website/network/Server? Well, yeah!

Penetration Testing, generally recognized as Pen-Testing, is on a roll in the testing circle nowadays. The goal is not too difficult to guess – with the change in the way computer systems are employed and established, security takes center stage.

Even though organizations realize that they can’t make every system 100% secure, they are very interested to know specifically what kind of security issues they are dealing with.

That’s where Pen-testing comes in handy with its use of ethical hacking methods.

What is penetration testing?

Cyber attacks can occur at any point in time. To be on the safer side you require to know completely about the loose ends of your software defense.

Penetration testing explains the vulnerabilities of your software so that you can tighten it later. There is a collection of penetration testing tools available on the internet. 

This article brings to you the 8 most coveted, critically commended, and best penetration testing tools.

1. Netsparker

Netsparker is perhaps the most precise penetration testing tool. It automatically recognizes vulnerabilities in both web API and applications.

Features

• Recognized as a pioneer in web application security
• NETSPARKER reduces the requirement for the penetration tester to manually sit and test different vulnerabilities.
• All the real vulnerabilities are drawn into the limelight just with a simple scan and it is able of detecting vulnerabilities like cross-site scripting, SQL injection, and so on. You can just download and install it from the internet.
• Can simply integrate with CI/CD and other systems in software development, in summary, a completely customizable workflow can be built
• Verified defects are automatically posted to the bug tracking system

2. Core impact

It is one of the best penetration testing tools present in the market. The variety of exploits in this penetration testing tool is perfect.

Features

• Core Impact has Metasploit exploits, automated wizard methods, PowerShell commands, etc. Exploits written by Core Impact are economic grade and widely used in both organizations and security consultancies. The price of this tool is on the larger side but you receive exactly what you are paying for.
• Has the capacity to replicate attack across systems, tools, and applications
• Security posture can be verified by methods used by dreaded cyber-criminals
• An up-to-date library on leading warnings
• Programmable self-destruct capability so that no free end will be left behind
• The reporting characteristic of the tool can be employed for compliance validation
• Can be employed for network testing
• Can capture data shared among a real user and the website

3. Meta sploit

It is one of the most widespread and advanced penetration testing tools for penetration testing. It has a collection of exploits that can access a system bypassing its security. If the exploit successfully accesses the system, a payload is operated which basically provides a framework for testing.

Features

• This is a commercial product; therefore you have to buy it after the free trial if you need access to all the features. Metasploit is compatible with Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.
• There are modules that can assign a sequence of commands that can concentrate on a special type of vulnerability
• Metasploit can be used to obtain as much information to learn about the vulnerability of a software system.
• Has a database that can collect system log, host data, and evidence
• A multi-function payload module

4. W3AF

This is a free penetration testing tool and to be frank, does a fabulous job. It has a bunch of useful characteristics like fast HTTP requests, injecting payloads, several HTTP requests, and so on.

Features

• The user interface of W3AF is harmonious with Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. Unlike other tools, this one is available to download and use.
• Has web and proxy servers that can be quickly integrated into the code of the software
• Helps in transferring lightning speed HTTP requests owing to the surplus of extension
• Various types of logging methods such as Console, Text, CSV, HTML, and XML
• Be it any portion of the HTTP request, W3af can inject any kind of payload

5. Nessus

Nessus is a very competent vulnerability scanner with a website scan, IP scan, and has a sensitive data search expert module. All these functionalities are built into Nessus and help in detecting vulnerabilities in the system, capable of managing all testing environments.

Features

• Up-to-date database that’s refreshed on a daily basis
• Can be used to detect scalability
• (Nessus Attack Scripting Language) NASL is employed as the scripting language
• Nessus can recognize an FTP server on a non-standard port, or even a webserver working on port 8080
• The tool can get services like HTTPS, SMTP look like SSL so that they can be inserted into a PKI-type environment.

6. Cain & Abel

This is the ideal tool for decoding passwords and network keys. Cain & Abel accomplishes this by utilizing different methods like network sniffing, cryptanalysis attacks, cache uncovering, vocabulary, and routing protocol analysis. This is a free tool but is particularly available for Windows operating systems.

Features

• Can decipher WEP(Wired Equivalent Privacy)
• VoIP conversations can be registered 
• LSA (Local Security Authority ) can be dropped 
• Password related issues can be fixed

7. Acunetix

It is a full-fledged, fully automated vulnerability scanner capable of scanning over 4500 various types of vulnerabilities.

Features

• The best characteristic of this tool is that it can perform several tests automatically which sometimes takes hours to finish. The results produced on this tool are accurate and fast.
• Acunetix maintains all systems including JavaScript, HTML5, and CMS.
• Can discover over 4500 vulnerabilities
• Hidden inputs that haven’t been published in black-box scanning can be revealed
• Javascript of websites and SPAs can be crawled
• Ability to build management and compliance report
• Can integrate with CI tools
• Configurable workflow
• Replication of e-mail injection attack

8. Probe.ly

Probe.ly not only detects vulnerabilities but also recommends a possible fix on them. The user interface of this tool is extremely intuitive and has all the necessary features for penetration testing.

Features

• Probe.ly is capable of detecting out upward of a thousand various types of vulnerabilities including OWASP TOP10.
• Guidance to fix the problem will also be provided by Probe.ly
• Can integrate with other tools
• Can do intrusive and non-intrusive scans
• Available also as a plugin for integration with CI tools
• Has the ability to create scan results, compliance reports, and the coverage report

Also Read: 8 Best Vulnerability Assessment Scanning Tools

Conclusion

Conducting penetration tests is an essential part of checking that systems are secure. Using the appropriate penetration testing tools saves time and helps to increase your overall security posture.

Need to implement penetration testing in your project? Think no more! TestUnity provides the testing services on-demand, serves with projects of any scale, and is ready to start with a few days’ advance notice. Choose to team up with a QA services provider like TestUnity. Our team of testing experts specializes in QA and has years of experience implementing tests with different testing software. Get in touch with a TestUnity expert today.

TestUnity

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