🔸 Comprehensive Penetration Testing Suites
| Tool | Features | Pricing | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metasploit Framework | Widely used for penetration testing; exploit development; payloads; post-exploitation modules. | Free (Community) / Pro starts at $5,000/year | rapid7.com |
| Core Impact | Automated exploitation, multi-vector testing, phishing simulation, social engineering | Starts at $9,450/year | coresecurity.com |
| Immunity CANVAS | Exploitation framework with hundreds of exploits, shellcode generation, and penetration testing automation | Starts at $4,000/year | immunityinc.com |
| Nessus Professional | Vulnerability assessment, network scanning, compliance auditing | Free trial / Starts at $3,590/year | tenable.com |
🔸 Network Penetration Testing Tools
| Tool | Features | Pricing | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nmap | Network mapping, port scanning, OS detection, vulnerability scanning | Free and Open-Source | nmap.org |
| Zenmap | GUI for Nmap, simplifies advanced network scanning | Free and Open-Source | nmap.org/zenmap |
| Netcat (nc) | Simple network tool for debugging and testing connections | Free | nmap.org/ncat |
| Angry IP Scanner | Lightweight network scanner for IP address and port discovery | Free | angryip.org |
🔸 Web Application Penetration Testing Tools
| Tool | Features | Pricing | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burp Suite | Web vulnerability scanner, manual testing, intercepting proxy, repeater, intruder | Free Community / Pro starts at $449/year | portswigger.net |
| OWASP ZAP | Free web app scanner, intercepting proxy, active and passive scanning | Free and Open-Source | owasp.org |
| Acunetix | Automated web vulnerability scanner (SQLi, XSS), network scanning, compliance reports | Starts at $4,500/year | acunetix.com |
| Nikto | Web server scanner; identifies outdated software, insecure files, and vulnerabilities | Free and Open-Source | cirt.net |
| Wapiti | Open-source vulnerability scanner for web apps, scanning for XSS, SQLi, file disclosure | Free | wapiti.sourceforge.io |
🔸 Wireless Network Penetration Testing Tools
| Tool | Features | Pricing | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aircrack-ng | WEP/WPA cracking, packet capture and injection, monitoring wireless networks | Free and Open-Source | aircrack-ng.org |
| Kismet | Wireless network detector, sniffer, and intrusion detection system | Free and Open-Source | kismetwireless.net |
| WiFi Pineapple | Wireless auditing and MITM tool, rogue access point creation, credential harvesting | Hardware starts at $99 | hak5.org |
| Fern WiFi Cracker | GUI tool for wireless auditing, WEP/WPA cracking, and network sniffing | Free and Open-Source | github.com/savio-code |
🔸 Password Cracking Tools
| Tool | Features | Pricing | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| John the Ripper | Password cracking (hashes, encrypted files), hybrid attacks, custom wordlists | Free and Open-Source | openwall.com |
| Hashcat | GPU accelerated password cracking, supports 200+ hash types | Free and Open-Source | hashcat.net |
| Hydra (THC) | Brute-force login cracker, supports multiple protocols (SSH, FTP, HTTP, etc.) | Free and Open-Source | github.com/vanhauser-thc/thc-hydra |
| Cain and Abel | Password recovery for Windows, hash cracking, sniffing, and dictionary attacks (Windows-only) | Free | oxid.it |
🔸 Social Engineering Tools
| Tool | Features | Pricing | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social-Engineer Toolkit (SET) | Phishing, credential harvesting, payload generation, social engineering attacks | Free and Open-Source | trustedsec.com |
| BeEF (Browser Exploitation Framework) | Exploit web browsers to control clients, hook into browsers for post-exploitation | Free and Open-Source | beefproject.com |
| GoPhish | Phishing framework, campaign management, email templates | Free and Open-Source | getgophish.com |
🔸 Mobile Penetration Testing Tools
| Tool | Features | Pricing | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| MobSF (Mobile Security Framework) | Automated testing for Android/iOS, static and dynamic analysis, API testing | Free and Open-Source | mobsf.github.io |
| Drozer | Security assessment framework for Android apps, testing IPC mechanisms, and communication channels | Free and Open-Source | github.com/FSecureLABS/drozer |
| Frida | Dynamic instrumentation toolkit, intercepts API calls, used for reverse engineering and security analysis | Free and Open-Source | frida.re |
🔸 Cloud Penetration Testing Tools
| Tool | Features | Pricing | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| ScoutSuite | Multi-cloud security auditing tool (AWS, Azure, GCP) | Free and Open-Source | github.com/nccgroup/ScoutSuite |
| Prowler | AWS security best practices auditing, CIS benchmarking | Free and Open-Source | github.com/prowler-cloud/prowler |
| CloudSploit (Aqua) | Cloud configuration scanning, risk management, compliance monitoring for AWS, Azure, GCP | Starts at $12,500/year (Aqua platform) | aquasec.com |
🔸 Forensics & Post-Exploitation Tools
| Tool | Features | Pricing | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volatility | Memory forensics framework, analyzes RAM dumps, malware detection | Free and Open-Source | volatilityfoundation.org |
| Autopsy | Digital forensics platform, recover deleted files, analyze file systems, timeline analysis | Free and Open-Source | sleuthkit.org/autopsy |
| Empire | Post-exploitation framework for PowerShell, command and control (C2), privilege escalation | Free and Open-Source | github.com/BC-SECURITY/Empire |
✅ Key Categories Recap
| Category | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Comprehensive Frameworks | Full penetration testing solutions (Metasploit, Core Impact) |
| Network Testing | Port scans, OS detection, network mapping |
| Web App Testing | Vulnerabilities in websites and APIs |
| Wireless Testing | Attacks on WiFi networks and wireless protocols |
| Password Cracking | Brute force, dictionary attacks on passwords |
| Social Engineering | Phishing and human factor exploitation |
| Mobile Testing | Security of mobile apps |
| Cloud Security Testing | Security audits for AWS, Azure, GCP |
| Forensics & Post-Exploitation | Memory dumps, digital investigations |
