The hacking toolkit: 13 essential network security utilities

The Social Engineer Toolkit

Humans are often the weakest link in the security chain. The Social Engineer Toolkit is a suite of apps that will send spearfishing attacks, spoof SMS messages, and mask malware as media files.

Image: http://www.social-engineer.org

Metasploit

The world-famous Metasploit by Rapid7 is network penetration software for IT professionals and network managers that features updated exploit lists, as well as spearfishing, network mapping, and password brute force tools.

Image: Rapid7

Nmap

Nmap is a great way to map a network. The free, open source auditing tool identifies network shape, and locates firewalls, IP filters, and other network ports.

Image: http://Nmap.org

Cain and Abel

Need to retrieve a lost a password? Cain and Abel will sniff your network, locate password files, then crack the encryption. The decryption app works with other types of locked files, including Wi-Fi passwords and cached voice conversations.

Image: http://www.oxid.it/

John the Ripper

John the Ripper is a speedy, open source password decryption utility for Linux and Macs that can autodetect password hashes, then automatically apply a variety of attacks, including dictionary and brute force hacks.

Image: http://www.openwall.com/

Hash Suite

Hash Suite is a fast and powerful password cracking application for Windows. The software isn't free but is reasonably priced and, for SMBs in particular, worth the investment.

Image: http://openwall.net

Wireshark

Wireshark is a widely used packet sniffer that can identify, track, and visualize all network IP traffic.

Image: https://www.wireshark.org/

Ettercap

Ettercap is an unambiguous, unapologetic man-in-the-middle exploitation tool that can intercept IP traffic, grab passwords, and eavesdrop on network activity.

Image: https://ettercap.github.io

Burp Suite

Need to manage your network and perform a number of security tests? Try the Burp, a comprehensive, modular, and automated network scanning application.

Image: https://portswigger.net

GnuPG

If you're a network admin, you need to be familiar with how email encryption works. GnuPG, an open source security app, is compatible with most major email clients and makes the PGP learning process simple.

Image: https://www.gnupg.org/

PuTTY

Ditch the kludgey Windows command line and communicate with servers and telnet securely using PuTTY, the popular, open source terminal emulator.

Image: http://www.putty.org/

Maltego

Maltego is a network data mining, forensics, and link visualization tool developed by security firm Paterva.

Image: https://www.paterva.com

Lenovo

Kali Linux

Kali is a privacy-focused Linux distribution that's easy to install using your Windows box and runs from a common flash drive on nearly every machine. The distribution is loaded with several hundred network administration, forensics, and penetration tools. And like the Tails OS, Kali leaves no trace of use and is hyper-encrypted.

Image: https://www.kali.org/