Brute force attacks are on the rise. Our guardrails against unauthorized access grow weaker by the day.
Just look at the numbers:
- Brute force logs make up over 60% of all website attack traffic (Imperva)
- 81% of breaches exploit stolen passwords or brute forcing (Verizon DBIR)
- 45% of IT professionals feel vulnerable to password spraying attacks (Thycotic)
Attackers‘ capabilities also continue advancing at breakneck speeds:
- Sophisticated bots and malware enable brute forcing at massive scales
- Automated credential stuffing preys on password reuse
- Targeted password spraying sidesteps account lockouts
- Black markets sell password lists by the billions
Left unaddressed, these exponential threats place your data, customers and business at incredible risk. The impacts of a breach can haunt organizations for years through legal liabilities, sunk reputation and customer trust.
So what’s an IT security leader to do?
Fight Back with Proactive Brute Force Pen Testing
To protect your systems in today‘s climate, you need to pen test them before attackers get the chance. By brute forcing your own applications, you gain priceless insight into where weaknesses hide.
Equipped with that knowledge, your team can strategically harden security and safeguard your organization.
But effective brute force testing requires the right tools. Penetration testing tools empower you to:
✅ Spot vulnerabilities in your web apps, hosts and networks
✅ Benchmark existing controls like account lockouts
✅ Model real-world password spraying and stuffing techniques
✅ Safely validate fixes drive meaningful lift in resilience
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll unpack 11 of the top brute forcing penetration testing tools available today. I’ll share expert recommendations to help you select the perfect option for your needs and environment.
Let’s get to it!
Top Brute Forcing Pen Testing Tools
Lightweight Scripts
Let’s start with some streamlined brute forcing scripts with low overhead. These flexible tools work well for testing discrete systems.
Gobuster
Gobuster quickly searches web servers for hidden files and directories. Written in lightning fast Go, it‘s highly scalable for directory brute forcing.
I often rely on Gobuster for:
✅ Finding unlinked APIs and endpoints
✅ Scraping sitemaps and assets lists
✅ Crawling ecommerce and marketing sites
It‘s my top pick for lightweight reconnaissance. But with no recursive crawling, it does require cleanup scanning.
BruteX
For streamlined network testing, BruteX delivers one-stop-shop brute forcing. Pulling together scanning tools like Nmap and DNSenum, it handles:
➡️ Open ports enumeration
➡️ Basic web crawling
➡️ Password guessing attacks
While limited in protocol support, it works fantastically for small apps and networks.
Dirsearch
Hailed as one of the fastest recursive web crawlers, Dirsearch shines for pure web app testing. With polished features like:
⚡ Smart branching logic
⚡ Advanced reporting
⚡ Result exporting
Dirsearch offers incredible speed and depth for discovering hidden attack surfaces. If web security is your top testing priority, Dirsearch should top your list!
SSB
For focused SSH penetration testing, SSB (Secure Shell Bruteforcer) brings excellent reliability. Unlike janky SSH scripts, SSB delivers:
🔐 Stable SSH credential testing
🔐 Clean and responsive interface
🔐 SSH-tailored experience
When poking at SSH servers, purpose-built SSB eclipses makeshift options.
Patator
For seasoned penetration testers valuing modularity, Patator warrants evaluation. As a flexible brute forcing script, Patator supports protocols like SSH, FTP, PostgreSQL and more.
I often leverage Patator when I need:
⛓️ Chained credential stuffing across services
⛓️ Custom brute forcing workflows and logic
⛓️ Dynamic response to targets‘ behavior
If versatility is key, add Patator to your tester‘s toolkit.
Hashcat
On the password cracking front, GPU-driven Hashcat brings unrivaled speed across major algorithms, including:
🔐 MD5 & SHA cryptographic hashes
🔐 Password database files
🔐 Kerberos ticket files
For rapid offline password validation, Hashcat remains a brute forcing favorite.
While powerful, these scripting tools do require some customization. For turnkey setup with more bells and whistles, keep reading!
Robust Commercial Platforms
On the commercial end of the spectrum, purpose-built platforms like Burp Suite and Ncrack simplify running frequent, large-scale test cycles.
Burp Suite
The gold standard for advanced penetration testing is Burp Suite Professional. With polished features like:
🕸️ Robust site mapping and crawling
🕸️ Intuitive test management
🕸️ Fully customizable scanning
Burp empowers complete application testing coverage. Top consulting firms rely on Burp for in-depth testing of complex targets.
For Fortune 500 web and mobile app penetration testing, Burp Suite Enterprise Edition is hands-down the leading choice.
Ncrack
Network-level credential brute forcing gets a major boost with Ncrack. Building on Nmap‘s fabulous host discovery capabilities, Ncrack enables lightning-fast protocol validation across entire subnets.
Ncrack really shines for enterprise-grade tasks like:
🌐 Mass SSH user enumeration
🌐 Broad password policy auditing
🌐 Bulk credential validation
If you manage large heterogeneous networks, Ncrack warrants a spot in your pen testing toolkit.
Specialized Password Tools
Rounding out our tour are purpose-built password hacking tools like THC-Hydra and Pydictor. These generate endless password permutations to maximize guessing efficacy.
THC-Hydra
One of the most respected network logon hacking tools is THC-Hydra. With extensive protocol support beyond most tools, Hydra brute forces:
🔑 Logins over FTP, IMAP and SMTP services
🔑 HTTP basic and digest access authentication
🔑 Windows shares, MySQL, MongoDB
Hydra‘s speed and flexibility make it universal for credential stuffing and spraying.
Pydictor
Taking password list generation to the next level is versatile Pydictor. Beyond building target wordlists from scratch, Pydictor transforms existing dictionaries through powerful mutation rules.
I leverage Pydictor for:
🔮 Expanding credentials lists 10X+
🔮Generating millions of permutations
🔮 Introducing chaos for greater entropy
Whether starting from scratch or expanding existing corpora, Pydictor is an indispensable password testing tool.
Key Factors for Comparison
With so many options for network and app penetration testing, selecting the right tool can feel overwhelming.
To guide your decision, start by considering testing objectives across these dimensions:
| Scope | Protocols & Tech Targeted |
| Scale | Cracking Speed & Volume |
| Precision | Customization & Control |
| Reporting | Data & Analytics Capture |
| Setup | Integration & Maintenance |
Balancing your priorities across these criteria will lead you to the ideal brute forcing partner.
Below is a snapshot view of how our 11 penetration testing tools compare across several key dimensions:
Now with a solid grasp of leading options, let‘s shift gears to deployment best practices.
Responsible Testing Approaches
While brute forcing presents immense value for proactive security, irresponsible testing introduces risk. Be sure to:
🔐 Scope tests narrowly to minimize disruption
🔐 Implement throttles to avoid system crashes
🔐 Validate proper permission and authorization
I also advise starting slowly with rate limiting. Then scale up testing frequencies and aggression once confident in monitoring capabilities.
For additional guidance, check out OWASP‘s responsible disclosure standards for safe testing procedures.
Supplement With Additional Controls
No single brute force solution offers a silver bullet. Be sure to layer in additional safeguards like:
🔒 Account lockout policies
🔒 Multi-factor authentication
🔒 IP access rules
My advice? First focus testing on your highest risk domains without excessive lockout guardrails. As you remediate findings, dial up restrictions to balance security and accessibility.
Ready to Fight Back?
Still feeling exposed even after all those tips? Don‘t lose heart.
With proactive brute force testing, you can flip from prey to predator in thwarting unauthorized access. Arm your team with these powerful tools to muscle up vulnerability detection.
Lean on the guideposts covered today to match needs with the right solution. Chart your path, then start reclaiming control through Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM).
You’ve got this! Here’s to 10x‘ing security visibility and resilience this year.
Let me know if any other brute forcing questions pop up along the way.
