Free Penetration Testing Tools
Discover the best free and open source penetration testing tools for security assessments, vulnerability discovery, and red team operations. Browse curated pen testing tools for ethical hacking.
Showing 24 of 500 tools
Awesome-Hacking
Hack-with-Github/Awesome-Hacking
A collection of various awesome lists for hackers, pentesters and security researchers
hackingtool
Z4nzu/hackingtool
ALL IN ONE Hacking Tool For Hackers
mitmproxy
mitmproxy/mitmproxy
An interactive TLS-capable intercepting HTTP proxy for penetration testers and software developers.
sqlmap
sqlmapproject/sqlmap
Automatic SQL injection and database takeover tool
metasploit-framework
rapid7/metasploit-framework
Metasploit Framework
h4cker
The-Art-of-Hacking/h4cker
This repository is maintained by Omar Santos (@santosomar) and includes thousands of resources related to ethical hacking, bug bounties, digital forensics and incident response (DFIR), AI security, vulnerability research, exploit development, reverse engineering, and more. 🔥 Also check: https://hackertraining.org
cutter
rizinorg/cutter
Free and Open Source Reverse Engineering Platform powered by rizin
SWE-agent
SWE-agent/SWE-agent
SWE-agent takes a GitHub issue and tries to automatically fix it, using your LM of choice. It can also be employed for offensive cybersecurity or competitive coding challenges. [NeurIPS 2024]
Awesome-Hacking-Resources
vitalysim/Awesome-Hacking-Resources
A collection of hacking / penetration testing resources to make you better!
awesome-hacking
carpedm20/awesome-hacking
A curated list of awesome Hacking tutorials, tools and resources
esp8266_deauther
SpacehuhnTech/esp8266_deauther
Affordable WiFi hacking platform for testing and learning
wifiphisher
wifiphisher/wifiphisher
The Rogue Access Point Framework
gobuster
OJ/gobuster
Directory/File, DNS and VHost busting tool written in Go
routersploit
threat9/routersploit
Exploitation Framework for Embedded Devices
subfinder
projectdiscovery/subfinder
Fast passive subdomain enumeration tool.
pwntools
Gallopsled/pwntools
CTF framework and exploit development library
wifi-cracking
brannondorsey/wifi-cracking
Crack WPA/WPA2 Wi-Fi Routers with Airodump-ng and Aircrack-ng/Hashcat
Resources-for-Beginner-Bug-Bounty-Hunters
nahamsec/Resources-for-Beginner-Bug-Bounty-Hunters
A list of resources for those interested in getting started in bug bounties
PentestGPT
GreyDGL/PentestGPT
Automated Penetration Testing Agentic Framework Powered by Large Language Models
TheFatRat
screetsec/TheFatRat
Thefatrat a massive exploiting tool : Easy tool to generate backdoor and easy tool to post exploitation attack like browser attack and etc . This tool compiles a malware with popular payload and then the compiled malware can be execute on windows, android, mac . The malware that created with this tool also have an ability to bypass most AV software protection .
hacktricks
HackTricks-wiki/hacktricks
Welcome to the page where you will find each trick/technique/whatever I have learnt in CTFs, real life apps, and reading researches and news.
awesome-ctf
apsdehal/awesome-ctf
A curated list of CTF frameworks, libraries, resources and softwares
sliver
BishopFox/sliver
Adversary Emulation Framework
Red-Teaming-Toolkit
infosecn1nja/Red-Teaming-Toolkit
This repository contains cutting-edge open-source security tools (OST) for a red teamer and threat hunter.
Related Security Domains
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free penetration testing tool?
Metasploit Framework is widely considered the most comprehensive free penetration testing tool, offering exploit development, payload generation, and post-exploitation capabilities. Other top choices include Nmap for network scanning, Burp Suite Community for web app testing, and Wireshark for packet analysis.
Is Metasploit free to use?
Yes, Metasploit Framework is free and open source under a BSD license. A commercial version called Metasploit Pro exists with additional features, but the community edition covers the core exploitation framework used by most security professionals.
What tools do ethical hackers use?
Ethical hackers typically use a combination of tools including Nmap (network scanning), Burp Suite (web application testing), Metasploit (exploitation), Wireshark (packet analysis), Hashcat (password cracking), and Nikto (web server scanning). Many use Kali Linux, which bundles hundreds of these tools.
What is the difference between penetration testing and vulnerability scanning?
Vulnerability scanning is automated and identifies known weaknesses without exploiting them. Penetration testing is a manual, goal-oriented process where a tester actively attempts to exploit vulnerabilities to determine real-world impact. Pen testing requires human judgment and creativity beyond what scanners provide.
Can I learn penetration testing for free?
Yes. Platforms like Hack The Box, TryHackMe, and VulnHub provide free labs. Tools like Kali Linux, Metasploit, and Burp Suite Community Edition are free. OWASP provides free methodology guides. Many security professionals start with these free resources before pursuing certifications like CEH or OSCP.
What programming languages are used in penetration testing?
Python is the most common language for writing exploit scripts and automation. Bash scripting is essential for Linux-based testing. Ruby is used in Metasploit module development. PowerShell is critical for Windows environments. JavaScript knowledge helps with web application testing and XSS payloads.