Ethical hacking as a profession is one of the most sought-after professions that are on the rise in recent times. The high demand is because of the increasing amounts of cyber threats that are faced by companies on a daily basis. This is the reason why there is a high demand for ethical hackers. With the onset of various types of ethical hacking tools, the job of ethical hackers has become a bit easier.
A study conducted in 2017 found that the number of malware created and released into the world wide web every day was 360,000. Another study found that enterprises around the world faced 444,259 ransomware attacks just in 2018. While malware and ransomware are still manageable threats, Cybersecurity concerns can be far more sinister. Hackers can steal valuable information and data and it can result in huge financial losses.
Organizations hire ethical hackers to work with them and safeguard their company and prevent this from happening again. Ethical hackers find vulnerabilities in the network systems and servers of an organization and help them improve their current IT security and governance policies.
There are various tools available for ethical hackers to use that will help them improve their working processes. Some of the most popular ethical hacking tools in use in 2020 are listed in the article.
Top Ethical Hacking Tools
1. Netsparker
Netsparker is an ethical hacking tool that scans web applications and services and checks their security to find different vulnerabilities in them. Some of the vulnerabilities it finds include SQL Injection and XSS.
Netsparker uses Proof-Based Scanning Technology to give users extreme accuracy when it comes to detecting vulnerabilities. The scanner comes with a REST API that integrates with the existing bug tracking systems and SDLC used by the organization and it requires minimal configuration to operate. It detects all error pages and URL rewrites directly and it can scan over 1,000 web applications in a day. Netsparker is also completely scalable.
2. Acunetix
Instead of employing ethical hackers, organizations can choose to implement Acunetix in their companies. It is completely automated and the application acts as an ethical hacker for the system. The Acunetix scanner scans the following:
- All single-page applications
- HTML5
- JavaScript
- Authenticated web applications
- WordPress themes, plugins, and core
This scan is done to check for:
- Variables of the SQL injection
- XSS
- More than 4500 other vulnerabilities
Acunetix also helps organizations with their compliance reports. It is completely scalable and can be available as a cloud solution or on-premises. It integrates with many major WAFs as well as Issue Trackers.
3. Metasploit
Metasploit is a framework used for ethical hacking. It is an open-source ethical hacking tool. The framework is written in Ruby. It can be used by ethical hackers to help them with finding vulnerabilities and writing code to secure them.
Administrators or ethical hackers use Metasploit to break into their own network. This way they can identify the risks to their servers and easily make note of the ones that need to be addressed. It helps with the prioritization of risk management as well. Beginner ethical hackers especially find this tool extremely helpful because it allows them to practice.
Metasploit comes with tools for security that help with:
- Evasion of detection systems
- Executing attacks remotely
- Listing out all networks and hosts
- Running various scans to check for vulnerabilities
4. Traceroute NG
Organizations can use Traceroute NG to do the following:
- Track network paths
- Analyze network paths
- Identify different IP addresses
- Search for hostnames
- Identify different hostnames
- Avoid potential loss to the company
Traceroute NG uses a command-line interface and detects any changes in ICT and ICMP network paths. Users can continuously probe their networks as well as create txt log files, which is an application that enables you to analyze network paths. This software can identify IP addresses, hostnames, and packet loss. It provides accurate analysis through a command-line interface
5. Nikto
Nikto, is an ethical hacking tool that scans all web servers, and it is popular in the Kali Linux Distribution. It comes with an easy to understand command line interface and it is used to perform various tests against the selected host. The vulnerability testing that comes with Nikto can detect any faulty files that have been installed on any OS in the organization, any applications that have become outdated, and execute attacks. The results of the vulnerability tests can be exported in CSV, HTML, and plain text. Nikto can also be integrated with Metasploit.
6. WireShark
Wireshark is a free tool that helps organizations monitor and analyzes all network traffic. This analysis is done using WireShark’s sniffing technology and takes place in real time, which means any problems that are detected are also done in real time. The software also helps solve any networking problems. The analysis conducted can be viewed offline as well.
It reads and inspects various file formats such as:
- Gzip files
- Sniffer Pro
- Cisco Secure IDS IP log
- Tcpdump
- Microsoft network monitor
7. SaferVPN
Ethical hackers swear by SaferVPN as a tool. The application lets users check for their targets across the world as well as transfer files anonymously. SaferVPN also lets ethical hackers simulate browsing behavior. There is an anonymous no-log VPN available that comes highly secured. It doesn’t store any data whatsoever and has over 300,000 IPs. It offers P2P protection and comes with a split tunneling feature.
8. John The Ripper
This application may possibly be one of the most widely used password crackers available today, but it has more uses than just that. It is an open-source platform that can be used by multiple operating systems and comes with multi-platform functionalities as well. John the Ripper can be used to test the following:
- Hash LM (Lan Manager)
- DES
- Blowfish
- MD4
- MD5
- LDAP
- Kerberos AFS
- MySQL (with the help of third-party modules)
9. Burp Suite
Burp Suite has many hacker tools available that can be used for security testing on web applications. The application maps and analyzes each application to check for attack surfaces. It can scan all open source software as well. The application comes with an in-built vulnerability management feature that can review all data collected about threats with complete accuracy. It has automatic scanning and comes with an automated crawl feature as well. Burp Suite is considered to be an advanced tool for ethical hacking and scanning for threats that testers can use.
10. Nmap
Network Mapper is another popular tool that ethical hackers use that helps them with different ways in which they can attack the systems of an organization. It collects information about the system and can be used on multiple platforms. The main reason for Nmap’s popularity is because it is extremely easy to use and comes with a strong in-built scanner. Ethical hackers can easily check how secure a device is and search for remote hosts as well as open ports. The application also comes with a network mapping feature and can find and list out vulnerabilities inside networks.
Final Thoughts
Working professionals need to have knowledge of IT security, governance, and ethical hacking so that they can use these ethical hacking tools for their benefit. There are many popular IT Governance Certification Courses programs where individuals and enterprise teams get a holistic understanding of ethical hacking and its tools.
