Some of the open source tools highlighted in our top five list have been around for decades; others are relatively new. Each has proven to be highly useful and valuable.
Highlighted open source tools
There are countless commercial and open source cybersecurity tools available, with more released every day. The list below highlights several open source tools that are essential for finding vulnerabilities in 2021. The biggest advantage of open source tools, besides being free software, is that you and others in the community can review the source code to ensure each tool is legitimate and is only doing what it's supposed to be. Some of the highlighted tools have been around for decades, while others are relatively new. Each has proven to be highly useful and valuable in its own way, and they can all be used together.
1.) Kali Linux
Category: Security-centric Linux distribution
Features: Kali Linux's OS is tightly secured, with network services and other common services disabled by default, to minimize its visibility and attack surface. It has over 600 cybersecurity tools included.
Use case: Kali Linux is designed for people who are experienced Linux users and administrators and who need a separate environment for performing penetration testing. It can run on many types of hardware platforms, as well as virtual environments, containers and public clouds.
https://www.kali.org
2.)Wireshark
- Category: Network traffic visibility
- Features: Wireshark can capture network traffic and analyze that traffic in depth to try to understand it. It can also analyze network traffic captures from other tools. Wireshark has built-in knowledge of hundreds of network and application protocols.
- Use case: Wireshark, formerly known as Ethereal, is a foundational utility that is useful for anyone, from novices wanting to learn the basics of network communications, to experts needing rapid identification of protocols unknown to them and detailed information about the communications they carry.
- https://www.wireshark.org
3.) Open Vulnerability Assessment Scanner (OpenVAS)
Category: Vulnerability scanner
Features: OpenVAS is a vulnerability scanner that includes over 50,000 vulnerability checks and enables its users to create their own custom checks. What's most noteworthy about OpenVAS is that it can look for vulnerabilities not just in the standard IT software and services, but in lower-level operational technology (OT), like industrial control systems.
Use case: OpenVAS can identify a huge range of vulnerabilities on IT and OT systems and networks. New vulnerability checks are made available every day, so it can find the latest problems, as well as older issues.
https://www.openvas.org
4. Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP)
- Category: Network traffic visibility, vulnerability scanner
- Features: ZAP is a web application vulnerability scanner. It acts as a MitM proxy between your web browser and a web application. That gives it full visibility into the web application's communication, so it can scan and analyze those communications for potential vulnerabilities.
- Use case: ZAP is most often used to check your organization's own web applications for exploitable software flaws as part of vulnerability scanning, software testing or penetration testing.
- https://www.zaproxy.org
5.) Sqlmap
- Category: Penetration testing tool
- Features: sqlmap is a penetration testing tool that specifically targets database servers. It can exploit vulnerabilities not just through SQL injection attacks, but through many other forms of attack. For example, it can crack passwords, escalate privileges and copy database tables.
- Use case: Usually, sqlmap is used for penetration testing only. Because it can provide administrator-level access to databases, it may be better used on database servers in a staging or other nonproduction environment so as to avoid exposing sensitive data.
- http://sqlmap.org
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