Developing secure web applications requires vigilant testing using the right tools and techniques. Penetration testing, or pen testing, analyzes applications for security holes by safely exploiting vulnerabilities that real-world hackers could leverage to steal data or deploy malware.
By finding weaknesses first, developers gain actionable insights to better safeguard critical business applications before attackers strike. This prevents loss of customer trust, financial frauds and brand reputation damage in case of incidents.
This comprehensive guide equips you with expert knowledge regarding 11 featured free and open source penetration testing tools to start securing your web apps the smart way. You will learn:
- How various types of pen testing tools function
- Capabilities of 11 highly versatile open source web app pen testing toolkits
- Detailed comparative analysis highlighting strengths of each tool
- Recommendations to build an effective application security testing framework powered by free software
Armed with this information, you can conduct thorough penetration tests across design, development and pre-production environments saving both time and money while hardening your web apps against real adversaries.
Understanding Penetration Testing Tools
Also known as ethical hacking tools, pen testing toolsets simulate cyber attacks in a controlled manner against known assets. By actively attempting break-ins, the tools uncover security gaps a casual scan may miss.
As per industry experts, over 70% of Internet traffic flows over insecure HTTP highlighting the need for continual web security assessments using reliable pen testing software.
Penetration testing tools can be categorized as:
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Network pen testing – Uncover infrastructure and connectivity vulnerabilities by checking networks, servers and firewalls. Network mappers like Nmap identify live hosts, open ports, services, anomalies etc. Helps prevent intrusions using distributed denial of service (DDoS) and remote access trojans.
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Web application pen testing – Scan front-end code, APIs and back-end software for injection attacks, broken logic, authentication bypasses and weaknesses leading to loss of data or service availability.
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Mobile app pen testing – Test mobile interfaces, communication channels and code flows in iOS/Android/Windows apps for flaws in data validation, encryption, containerization etc. Prevents leak of financial and personal data.
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Social engineering pen testing – Evaluate human risk factors using simulated phishing emails, fraudulent sites and messages that trick users into revealing credentials or sensitive data. Improves employee preparedness against cybercriminal deception tactics.
This guide focuses on the most popular category – web application penetration testing utilities – available free of cost to download and use.
Overview of Featured Free Online Penetration Testing Tools
While large corporations rely on paid services and enterprise-grade tools for compliance requirements, open source penetration testing tools provide a great starting point for developers and quality engineers to start securing their web applications early in the lifecycle.
The 11 well-known free pen testing tools featured in this guide include:
The tools compile critical code vulnerabilities, gather network intelligence, simulate social engineering attacks, generate payloads for injection testing, carry out ethical exploits and more to provide exhaustive protection against malicious threats.
Let‘s analyze the capabilities, compatibility, ease of use and other characteristics of these 11 multipurpose tools in detail.
1. Karkinos – The Pen Tester‘s Swiss Army Knife
Karkinos bundles an array of penetration testing and ethical hacking tools as modules within a single toolkit. The all-in-one modular design makes Karkinos extremely handy for first-time users to get productive quickly without needing deep knowledge across specific test types.
You can leverage inbuilt capabilities like:
Encoding/Decoding
- Transform payloads easily using Base64, hex, Unicode, URL encoding
- Prepare obfuscated code for inserts to bypass security filters
- Decode encrypted and packed malware code for analysis
Hash Cracking
- Load password lists and use Karkinos to crack hashes simultaneously
- Supports protocols like LM, NTLM, MD4, MD5 including salted variants
- 15+ million cipher permutations per second using GPU acceleration
Payload/Shell Generator
- Quickly craft reverse shells and payload code in multiple formats
- Adjust ports, IP addresses to suit remote target environments
- Save time building payloads manually for common injections like command injection, blind SQLi etc.
Karkinos simplifies early stages of pen testing across Windows and Linux systems using its revolutionary CyberWeapon framework foundation.
2. Sifter – Automated Attack Surface Management
Sifter is an automated web application security audit and vulnerability management solution providing continuous pen testing.
With predefined assessments spanning over 35 engines, Sifters correlating scan results to focus on high probability threats.
Key highlights:
- Comprehensive coverage including OWASP Top 10 web risks
- Easy setup and configuration – no complex dependencies
- Detailed graphical interface and threat modeling capabilities
- Broad vulnerability detection for flaws like XSS, injections, insecure storage etc.
- Fuzz testing to uncover hidden edge case flaws
- Custom pen testing templates based on tech stack and frameworks used
Sifter is thus ideal for modern DevSecOps teams relying on shift-left security practices right from software design stages.
3. Metasploit – Veteran Pen Tester‘s Choice
Veteran penetration testers rely on Metasploit framework backed by over a decade of development history and community contributions.
It enjoys unmatched maturity with 3000+ exploits, 1000+ payloads and extensive customization using Ruby.
Noteworthy features:
Discovery Scanning
- Built-in port scanning, ping sweeps and various TCP/UDP/ICMP network scans
- OS, service and platform fingerprinting
Exploitation
- Automatic and manual exploitation modules
- Bypass common protection including antivirus and firewalls
- Includes shellcode generation for custom backdoors
Evasion Tools
- Encrypted reverse shells and stream encoders
- Payload wrapping through trusted apps and file formats
Post-Exploitation
- Pivot attacks to deeper network layers
- Persistent access using implants, rootkits etc.
Extensible Framework
- Powerful Ruby API for coding custom modules
- Support for Python, Bash, Visual Basic scripts
From scanning to takeover, Metasploit is an elite choice favoured by web app pen testers globally.
4. Sn1per – Continuous Pentesting Platform
Sn1per focuses on continuous exposure of attack vectors by combining asset inventory, threat modeling and automated exploitation in a single web app pen testing toolkit.
It continuously tracks your web application landscape and security posture encouraging proactive fixes before disasters strike.
What makes Sn1per stand out?
- Detailed visual mapping of entire attack surface topology
- Write custom Python scripts for niche testing needs
-Multi-process architecture for blazing performance - Integrates intelligence from tools like nmap, sqlmap, Dirsearch etc.
- HTML/JS reporting dashboard with historical tracking
Sn1per thus enables seamless collaboration between dev, ops and sec teams for rapid pen testing.
5. Commix – Automated Command Injection Testing
Commix (short for [comm]and [i]njection e[x]ploiter) detects and confirms command injection flaws in web apps allowing remote code execution on underlying servers.
It is purpose-built for power users focused exclusively on invasive CLI-based attacks specific to injection testing.
Notable features:
- Easy automation of command injection discovery and verification
- Supports both blind and non-blind command evaluation
- Custom shell commands using netcat, meterpreter etc.
- Handy TCP/UDP reverse shell sessions
- Script extensibility for advanced API users in Python
For niche command injection penetration tests, Commix offers state-of-art detection minus unnecessary bells and whistles.
6. BeEF – Hook Browser Security with Ease
Browser exploitation framework (BeEF) injects JavaScript hooks into front-end web code to detect client-side vulnerabilities.
BeEF offers terrific flexibility including:
- Over 300 modules for XSS exploitation, code injections, UI redressing attacks etc.
- Establish command channels with hooked browsers
- Leverage zombie browsers to scale pen testing footprint
- No native dependencies – runs directly off web apps
- Launch attacks including click frauds and webhook penetration from target browsers
BeEF is thus the ideal toolkit for client-side penetration testing routines.
7. Hacktools – Pen Tester‘s Perfect Web Sidekick
Hacktools packs useful payloads, generators and security testing references into a handy browser extension usable on demand.
It focuses specifically on easing discovery and use of common pen testing data like malicious code, illegal input strings etc. during web security audits.
Beneficial features:
- Quick access from toolbar to test payloads, reverse shells
- Encode/decode data from popup without leaving site
- Comprehensive SQLi and XSS sample payloads
- Hash generators for MD5, SHA1 etc.
- MSFvenom integrations to produce Metasploit payloads
- Built-in security testing cheat sheets for common protocols
Hacktools boosts efficiency of manual testers during pen testing web interfaces immensely.
8. Modlishka – Phishing-Style Penetration Testing
Modlishka performs hostname impersonation attacks during penetration tests to uncover risks from fraudulent domains, expired certificates, non-HTTPS sites etc.
It focuses specifically on circumventing identity providers and single sign-on (SSO) configurations through sophisticated phishing-style tactics.
Notable features:
- Domain name impersonation without CA certificates
- Circumvents HSTS protections using DNS cache poisoning
- Leverage lookalike Unicode characters for dodging brand abuse checks
- Excellent for testing user security awareness through imitation login prompts
- Reverse proxy functionality to intercept site traffic
For information security teams, Modlishka offers phishing use case guidance to harden organization-wide security awareness.
9. Dirsearch – Brute Force Web Directories Methodically
Doing reconnaissance and information gathering is key during initial stages of penetration testing cycles.
Dirsearch specializes in focused discovery of hidden, private or restricted directories and files on web servers through relentless brute forcing.
Why Dirsearch stands out from others?
- Pure Python 3.x code without dependencies
- Ultra-fast engineoptimized for speed
- Smart recursive brute forcing of paths
- Burp support for collaborative web testing
- Multi-threaded distributed scanning options
- Output in JSON/XML formats
Both web security novices and experts can benefit from Dirsearch‘s clean and configurable interface to maximize information collection from targets.
10. sqlmap – Master of SQL Injection Discovery
Web applications relying on relational databases are often prone to SQL injection vulnerabilities due to poor input validation.
sqlmap stands tall as the most mature SQL injection detection tool bar none after over a decade of development.
Where sqlmap shines:
- Detects +150 database types including MySQL, MSSQL, Oracle, DB2 etc.
- Broad support for SQL injection testing types – boolean/time-based blind, stacked queries, out-of-band etc.
- Fingerprints backend database types without installation privileges
- Powerful data extraction feature to exfiltrate tables, columns beyond just system metadata
- Tamper scripts and parsers to bypass Web Application Firewalls and other filters
sqlmap enjoys an unmatched reputation across SQL injection testers for its reliability, speed and performance.
11. Nmap – NetworkMapper Extraordinaire
Nmap, short for Network Mapper, serves a dual purpose:
- Reconnaissance and information gathering
- Identifying network-level attack vectors
It works by probing live hosts using crafted protocol packets with variable configurations allowing detection of available services.
Nmap proves invaluable for tasks like:
- Host discovery identifying live devices
- Port scanning detecting open endpoints
- Operating system fingerprinting
- Monitoring host/service uptime
- Revealing registry entries, file traces etc. indicative of vulnerabilities
Features aiding web penetration testers:
- Service version detection helpful to pinpoint vulnerable components
- Supports addons and scripts for dedicated web application probing
- CLI and GUI usage varying from basic to advanced networking concepts
Nmap sets the standard for network-level reconnaissance during infrastructure security reviews.
Key Considerations When Choosing Penetration Testing Tools
With open source penetration tools, you have full flexibility to test web application security for free without needing procurement approval or dedicated testing budgets.
However, ensure you make well-informed decisions matching product capabilities to the application architecture and risk appetite.
Some aspects to evaluate:
- Supported web languages – Python, PHP, JavaScript etc.
- Testing approaches – white/grey/black box pen testing
- Automation capabilities and manual intervention needs
- Licensing restrictions across commercial/open source tools
- Integration support with other products and services
- Output formats, dashboarding and reporting capabilities
The above coverage of 11 open source web app and network pen testing tools clarifies their approach, strengths and usage span to help determine which solutions (or combination) work best per your web resources and test coverage requirements.
Commercial Tools vs. Free and Open Source Penetration Testing Tools
Large enterprises often license commercial tools like Acunetix, Netsparker, AppScan etc. citing reasons like compliance needs, dedicated support and expertly curated vulnerability checks.
However, open source alternatives excel strongly when considering:
Cost
- Avoid recurring licensing fees and charges for commercial tools
- Free usage translates to higher ROI from application security investments
Adaptability
- Open source apps better suit coding education environments
- Edit code or extend tool features to meet custom pen test needs
Community Support
- Developer communities behind OSS tools provide free troubleshooting inputs
- Faster responses on forums compared to vendors
Thus, open source pen testing tools merit consideration for securing both homegrown and public web applications.
Closing Recommendations
Continuous exposure of exploitable vulnerabilities using simulated ethical hacking is pivotal for creating secure web applications resistant to real-world threats.
This guide should furnish you with expert-level clarity on core capabilities of 11 free feature-packed pen testing toolkits to start safeguarding your internet-facing apps.
As next steps, consider:
- Studying OWASP testing methodology to structure your penetration tests logically
- Combining tools like nmap, sqlmap and Metasploit for maximizing risk coverage across application layers – front-end, back-end, network etc.
- Evaluating both static (SAST) and dynamic (DAST) analyzer options available
- Retesting applications before major release milestones or code freezes
Adopting free pen testing tools alongside secure DevOps practices gives your organization the best chance of staying ahead of motivated hackers and avoiding brand-tarnishing headaches.
Stay safe as you secure your next web project!
