23 Best VAPT Tools (2025)
Oliver Jones
Penetration Testing tools help in identifying security weaknesses in a network, server, or web application. These tools are very useful since they allow you to identify the “unknown vulnerabilities” in the software and networking applications that can cause a security breach. VAPT’s full form is Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing.
VAPT Tools attack your system within the network and outside the network as if a hacker would attack it. If unauthorized access is possible, the system has to be corrected.
I have researched over 68+ of the Best VAPT Tools, investing more than 199 hours into finding the most credible options. This comprehensive list of VAPT tools highlights trusted features, with both free and paid options included. Discover insightful pros and cons to help you choose wisely. This in-depth guide is a must-see if you want to find the ultimate tool for your needs. Read more…
Best VAPT Tools List: Top Picks!
| Name | Platform | Free Trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astra Pentest | Web app, cloud security, mobile app, API | 7-Day Free Trial | Learn More |
| ExpressVPN | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS | 30-Day Free Trial | Learn More |
| Intrusion Detection Software | Windows | 30-Day Free Trial | Learn More |
| Owasp | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS: iPhone / iPad | Open Source Free Tool | Learn More |
| WireShark | Windows, macOS, Linux, and UNIX | Open Source Free Tool | Learn More |
1) Astra Pentest
Astra Pentest is one of the top-notch solutions I evaluated for vulnerability testing. I discovered it has a smart vulnerability scanner, which made it easy to resolve issues on multiple systems. The service allowed me to scan web apps, mobile apps, and APIs quickly. In my experience, Astra Pentest is great for continuous scanning, and I recommend it for anyone needing a reliable world-class pentest platform provider.
Astra Pentest offers comprehensive cybersecurity solutions, including manual and automated pentest, cloud configuration reviews, and vulnerability assessments, all backed by a substantial CVE-based database. The service guarantees zero false positives in vetted scan reports, offers compliance scans for key standards, and uses NIST and OWASP methodologies. Scans behind logins are facilitated via a Chrome plugin. A developer friendly dashboard simplifies communication between pentesters and developers. With 24/7 expert support, actionable risk-based scoring, and unlimited vulnerability scans, Astra is a robust tool for cybersecurity management.
Malware Detection: Yes
Threat Detection: Yes
AD Hoc Scans: No
Supported Platforms: Web app, cloud security, mobile app, api
Features:
- CI/CD Integrations: Integrates seamlessly with Slack, Jira, GitHub, GitLab, and more, allowing you to streamline development workflows.
- Extensive Test Coverage: Conducts over 8,000 test cases to detect vulnerabilities, providing essential protection across various application layers.
- Rescan and Scheduled Scans: Automatically rescan patches for vulnerabilities and schedule regular scans to ensure continuous monitoring and remediation.
- Compliance Scanning: Helps you meet regulatory standards by performing compliance scans for HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC2, GDPR, and ISO27001.
Pricing:
- Price: Plans start at $199 per month, offering great value for those needing reliable solutions.
- Free Trial: Explore all features and functionalities with a one-week trial for just $7 before committing to a subscription.
7-Day Free Trial
2) ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is one of the best tools for keeping my internet activity private. I could access music, social media, and video platforms without fear of logging my IP address or browsing history. According to my review, ExpressVPN is great for protecting online privacy and preventing unauthorized tracking.
ExpressVPN offers robust online security by hiding IP addresses and encrypting network data, with additional features such as a data breach scanner and IP scanning. It supports payment via Bitcoin and Tor access to hidden sites
Features:
- Global Server Locations: It allows you to access servers in 160 locations across 105 countries, offering wide global coverage.
- Unlimited Bandwidth: You can enjoy the VPN with no bandwidth restrictions, ensuring smooth streaming and browsing.
- Streaming Services Unblocking: It allows you to unblock popular streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer effortlessly.
- Customer Support: Receive round-the-clock customer support from a dedicated and friendly team to assist with any issues.
- Multi-Platform Support: This VPN is compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS platforms, making it versatile.
Pricing:
- Price: Plans start at $8.32 per month, offering great value.
- Free Trial: It provides a 30-day risk-free trial, giving you ample time to explore all features risk-free.
30-Days Free Trial
3) Intrusion Detection Software
Intrusion Detection Software is great for detecting advanced threats. I liked how it helps with DSS and HIPAA compliance reports. I found that it monitors suspicious activity constantly, which made it possible to prevent security breaches. In my experience, this is one of the best tools for threat detection, and keeping sensitive data secure.
Intrusion Detection Software offers real-time log analysis, capable of identifying malicious IPs, applications, and accounts. It supports network scans, integrates with Orion, Zapier, Intune, and Jira, and is compliant with PCI DSS, SOX, NERC CIP, GLBA, and HIPAA standards. The software provides centralized log collection, automated threat detection, integrated compliance reporting, and an intuitive dashboard. It is available for Windows, with plans starting at $2,639 and a 30-day free trial.
Features:
- Intrusion Detection Minimization: The solution minimizes efforts for intrusion detection by automating tasks according to predefined criteria.
- Compliance Reporting: It offers reporting features that aim to ensure compliance with industry standards, essential for security audits.
- On-Demand and Scheduled Scans: You can schedule scans or run them on-demand, allowing flexibility based on your specific requirements.
- Multi-Channel Customer Support: The tool provides customer support via phone, email, and tickets, offering helpful solutions to user issues.
- Supported Platforms: This VAPT tool supports the Windows platform, which is great for easy deployment on a popular OS.
Pricing:
- Price: Pricing starts at Starts at $2,992, making it one of the most affordable solutions available for businesses.
- Free Trial: It offers a 30-day free trial, allowing you to test essential features before making a purchase.
Download link: https://www.solarwinds.com/security-event-manager/
4) Owasp
Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) provides a remarkable set of tools that are great for pen testing software. In my opinion, the flagship tool ZAP is excellent for scanning web vulnerabilities. I could easily access its features to run in-depth security tests. I suggest using these tools if you aim to enhance the safety of your software. The best way to resolve security issues quickly is by using these comprehensive tools. The OWASP testing guide gives “best practices” to penetration test the most common web application.
- Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP – an integrated penetration testing tool)
- OWASP Dependency Check (it scans for project dependencies and checks against known vulnerabilities)
- OWASP Web Testing Environment Project (collection of security tools and documentation)
Features:
- R-Attacker Integration: It allows you to execute R-Attacker, which supports XSS, SQL, and OS Command injections securely.
- Web Application & Security Scanner: The tool is great for supporting various web applications and vulnerability scanners like ScanTitan and SecretScanner.
- Customer Support: This tool provides customer support through both phone and email for quick issue resolution.
- Supported Platforms: You can use it across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS platforms, offering wide compatibility.
Pricing:
- Price: As an open-source tool, it is completely free to download and start using for vulnerability assessments.
Download link: https://owasp.org/www-project-penetration-testing-kit/
5) WireShark
Wireshark is one of the best penetration testing tools I tested during my evaluation. I particularly liked how it captures real-time packets and shows them in a readable format. As I reviewed the tool, I found that it provides great insights into network protocols, decryption, and packet data. Its compatibility with multiple systems like Linux, Windows, OS X, and more is impressive. I was able to view the information using either a GUI or the TShark Utility in TTY mode, which is very flexible.
WireShark is a powerful, multi-platform pen testing tool offering deep inspection of data, live capture, and offline analysis, along with rich VoIP analysis. It supports various data sources like the internet, USB, Bluetooth, and Token Ring, with decryption support for protocols like IPsec, ISAKMP, SSL/TLS, WEP, and WPA/WPA2. Output can be exported to multiple formats, including XML and CSV. The tool also provides intuitive color-coded analysis and supports a barcode scanner.
Features:
- Live Capture with VoIP Analysis: It provides both live capture and offline analysis, offering detailed VoIP insights for effective network and voice traffic monitoring.
- VoIP Analysis: It offers detailed VoIP analysis, making it a great option for assessing voice traffic quality.
- On-the-Fly Decompression: It allows you to decompress capture files compressed with gzip instantly, which is helpful to streamline data analysis.
- Compliance Standards: It supports compliance standards, such as IEEE 802.3-2005, providing one of the best ways to ensure regulatory adherence.
- Customer Support: This tool offers customer support via email, which can be essential for troubleshooting assistance.
- Supported Platforms: Supported platforms include Windows, macOS, Linux, and UNIX, which makes it a great solution for various systems.
Pricing:
- Price: It is an open-source tool, free to download, making it a cost-effective option for network analysis.
Download link: https://www.wireshark.org/
6) Metaspoilt
Metasploit is the most popular and advanced framework for penetration testing. I tested it and found it is open-source and built on the concept of an exploit. I could send code that bypasses security, allowing me to access a system. Once inside, it triggered a payload to perform tasks on the target machine, offering a perfect framework for penetration testing. In fact, this tool allowed me to check if the IDS could stop attacks that might bypass its defenses.
Metaspoilt can be used on networks, applications, servers, etc. It has a command line and GUI clickable interface that works on Apple Mac OS X works on Linux and Microsoft Windows. Metaspoilt offers third-party import, manual brute force attacks, and website penetration testing. A baseline penetration testing report is provided along with basic, smart, and manual exploitation methods. Additionally, it provides wizards for auditing standard baselines.
Features:
- Command Line Interface: The tool offers a basic command line interface, which might be helpful for simple commands.
- Nexpose Integration: I found it integrates seamlessly with Nexpose, allowing you to enhance vulnerability management.
- Login Scanner Support: It supports HTTP and FTP LoginScanner, which is great for diverse login scanning requirements.
- Customer Support: Customer support is provided via email, Slack, and Twitter, which are essential communication channels.
- Supported Platforms: This tool is compatible with Windows, Linux, and macOS, providing a wide range of platform support.
Pricing:
- Price: Metasploit is available as an open-source tool, and for commercial support, you can contact a sales representative for Metasploit Pro, making it a cost-effective solution for budget-conscious users.
- Free Trial: A 30-day free trial is available.
Download link: http://www.metasploit.com/
7) Kali
Kali is the top choice for Linux users looking for one of the best pen testing tools. It helped me organize backups and recovery schedules that fit my projects. Kali’s quick access to a phenomenal penetration testing database is one of its key strengths. I particularly appreciate its remarkable performance in packet sniffing and injecting. Remember, a solid knowledge of TCP/IP protocol is essential when using this tool for network testing.
Kali is a comprehensive pentest tool equipped with features for LAN and WLAN sniffing, password cracking, vulnerability scanning, and digital forensics. It integrates seamlessly with tools like Metaspoilt and Wireshark and supports Penetration Testing, Security Research, Computer Forensics, and Reverse Engineering.
Features:
- 64-bit Support: This feature aims to enhance password cracking capabilities by supporting brute force attacks with 64-bit compatibility.
- Integrated Software Tools: Kali includes various pre-installed software tools such as Pidgin, XMMS, Mozilla, and K3b, which helps you in diverse tasks.
- Desktop Environment Options: It offers multiple desktop environment options, including KDE and Gnome, allowing you to customize your workspace. I find KDE a great option for its user-friendly interface.
- Customer Support: The tool provides customer support through an accessible Support page, which is helpful for troubleshooting.
- Supported Platforms: Kali Linux is compatible with multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, and macOS, making it versatile.
Pricing:
- Price: Kali Linux is an open-source tool available free to download, which is great for budget-conscious users.
Download link: https://www.kali.org/
8) Aircrack
I reviewed Aircrack as a strong wireless pentesting tool that solves many wireless security problems. During my research, I discovered it cracks weak wireless connections with ease. Aircrack targets WEP, WPA, and WPA2 encryption keys, giving me full control over testing vulnerabilities.
The tool supports different operating systems and platforms, making it a great option for various networks. It offers features like support for extra wireless cards, the new PTW WEP attack, and a WEP dictionary attack, which in my experience, are top-notch. Its compliance with ISO MD5 and CD-ROM ISO standards provides a solid base for cybersecurity testing, and its support for Airodump-ng and Coverity scans makes it a top-rated choice.
Features:
- Fragmentation Attack Support: This tool offers support for fragmentation attacks, providing one of the best defense mechanisms.
- Enhanced Tracking Speed: It aims to improve tracking speed, which helps you detect potential threats faster.
- Intrusion Detection System: I find this tool great for identifying and alerting you about intrusion activities in real time.
- Customer Support: The tool offers customer support through email, tutorials, and videos to help you resolve issues.
- Supported Platforms: It is compatible with Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, and eComStation 2 platforms.
Pricing:
- Price: This open-source tool is free to download, offering a cost-effective solution for users.
Download link: https://www.aircrack-ng.org/downloads.html
9) Sqlmap
Sqlmap is an open-source penetration testing tool, and I analyzed its ability to automate SQL injection flaw detection. It helped me improve penetration tests with its impressive detection engines and features. As per my review, this tool provides the best way to ensure SQL vulnerabilities are managed effectively, making it a superior choice for security testing.
Sqlmap is a comprehensive tool for handling SQL injections, allowing direct database connections and support for password hashes, enumerating users, privileges, databases, roles, columns and tables. It can crack password hashes, dump database tables or specific columns, and execute arbitrary commands. The tool can also search specific database names, tables, or columns across all databases. Integrated with LetsEncrypt and GitHub, it is available for Windows and Linux.
Features:
- SQL Injection Techniques: It fully supports six SQL injection techniques, providing a comprehensive solution for secure testing.
- Column Character Selection: Allows you to select a range of characters from each column entry, offering tailored analysis options.
- TCP Connection Establishment: I could establish a secure TCP connection between the affected system and database server for efficient testing.
- Customer Support: It provides customer support via email, typically ensuring prompt responses for technical assistance.
- Supported Platforms: It is compatible with Windows and Linux platforms, making it one of the best versatile tools.
Pricing:
- Price: The tool is available for free download, which makes it an excellent cost-effective option.
Download link: https://sqlmap.org/
10) BeEF
BeEF helped me conduct detailed browser security assessments. During my analysis, I found that it allows you to track issues on GitHub while hosting its repository. It is important to consider this tool because it is ideal for targeting browser vulnerabilities, making it one of the most effective tools for pentesting tool assessments.
Features:
- Client-Side Security Assessment: This feature allows you to evaluate overall security by supporting web-borne attacks on clients, including mobile devices, using client-side attack vectors. This may help in effectively testing vulnerabilities across different platforms.
- Browser Hooking Capabilities: BeEF lets you hook multiple browsers, enabling targeted command modules and system-specific attacks.
- Customer Support: The tool provides customer support primarily through email, making it easy to address concerns.
- Supported Platforms: BeEF is compatible with Mac OSX 10.5.0 or higher and modern Linux systems.
Pricing:
- Price: As an open-source tool, it is free to download, offering a cost-effective solution for users.
Download link: http://beefproject.com
11) Dradis
Dradis is an open-source framework for penetration testing. I found it great for sharing data with my team. It allowed me to share the collected information with all participants, making collaboration simple. The best way to stay organized during testing is by seeing what is done and what still needs to be completed.
Dradis is a platform-independent tool offering easy report generation, attachment support, and seamless collaboration. It integrates with existing systems and tools via server plugins and supports web-borne attacks, including those on mobile clients.
Features:
- Report Generation: Dradis offers seamless report generation and attachment support, making it a great solution for efficient collaboration.
- System Integration: It integrates with various systems using server plugins, which helps you manage web-borne attacks, including mobile.
- Customer Support: It provides customer support via email, which is essential for resolving issues effectively.
- Supported Platforms: Dradis is compatible with Mac OSX 10.5.0 or higher and modern Linux systems, making it accessible widely.
Pricing:
- Price: Dradis is available for free download, which is one of the best ways to start.
- Free Trial: A 30-day free trial is available, offering a risk-free way to evaluate the tool’s features.
Download link: https://dradis.com/ce/
12) Scapy
I tested Scapy as a pen testing tool, and it performed well with essential tasks like scanning and probing. I could send invalid frames and inject 802.11 frames effortlessly, which made it great for network attacks. It offered me fast and efficient combining techniques that outpaced most other tools.
Scapy is a versatile tool performing tasks such as sending invalid frames and injecting 802.11 frames, using combining techniques that outpace other tools. It complies with ISO 11898, ISO 14229, and ISO-TP standards and supports OBD, ISOTP, DoIP/HSFZ, and Stateful Scanners. Additional features include Service Discovery, Remote Procedure Calls, and Publish/Subscribe functionalities.
Features:
- Packet Customization: This feature enables you to build customized packets tailored to your specific requirements.
- Code Efficiency: Reduces the number of lines needed to execute code, making it more efficient to manage.
- Customer Support: Provides customer support through email, which is typically available for quick assistance.
- Supported Platforms: Compatible with major platforms, including Linux, OSX, BSD, and Windows, ensuring flexibility across systems.
Pricing:
- Price: It is a free-to-download, open-source tool, which is great for budget-conscious users like me.
Download link: https://scapy.net/
13) Ettercap
Ettercap is a detailed pen testing tool. I found that it is one of the best security testing tools because it supports both active and passive scanning, which makes it great for different testing needs. I particularly appreciate its features for network and host analysis.
Ettercap is a robust tool offering features like host scanning and the ability to sniff HTTP SSL-secured data, even through proxy connections. It enables the creation of custom plugins using its API, provides customer support via email, and includes a modern, reworked GTK3 UI. Additional features include a reworked Oracle O5LOGON dissector and multi-threaded name resolution. It’s available for Windows.
Features:
- Protocol Dissection: Supports both active and passive analysis of numerous protocols for effective network monitoring.
- ARP Poisoning: Allows you to perform ARP poisoning on switched LANs, enabling sniffing between two connected hosts.
- Live Connection Injection: I can inject characters into a live server or client connection for real-time interaction.
- SSH Sniffing: Capable of full duplex SSH connection sniffing, providing comprehensive data visibility in secure environments.
- Customer Support: It provides essential customer support via email to assist with any inquiries or troubleshooting.
- Supported Platforms: Supported across multiple platforms, including Windows, enhancing accessibility for various users.
Pricing:
- Price: Free and open-source tool, available for download without any cost involved.
Download link: https://www.ettercap-project.org/downloads.html
14) HCL AppScan
HCL AppScan is amazing when it comes to securing both web and mobile applications. I found that it offered me great insight into how to maintain regulatory compliance. It is most effective tool for identifying security vulnerabilities and creating detailed reports, making it an excellent choice for professionals.
HCL AppScan offers comprehensive security solutions, enabling increased enterprise risk visibility and aiding in finding and fixing issues. The tool supports ISO 27001, ISO 27002, and PCI-DSS standards and integrates with IBM Commerce. It offers daily, weekly, or monthly scan scheduling and supports Dynamic (DAST), Static (SAST), and Interactive (IAST) scanning. Features also include cognitive capabilities, cloud application security testing in DevOps, and test optimization. It’s available for Linux, Mac, Android, and Windows.
Features:
- Development and QA Testing: Enable Development and QA teams to perform testing throughout the SDLC process effectively.
- Application Testing Control: Allows you to control which applications each user can test, providing essential security measures.
- Report Distribution: Easily distribute detailed reports, which is a great way to streamline communication and analysis.
- Customer Support: It provides customer support via LiveChat, Contact Form, and Phone, which may help resolve issues quickly.
- Supported Platforms: Supported on Linux, Mac, Android, and Windows, making it one of the best options for diverse environments.
Pricing:
- Price: Price details can be obtained by requesting a quote directly from the sales team.
- Free Trial: Offers a 30-day free trial, which is perfect for evaluating the tool’s effectiveness
Download link: https://www.hcltechsw.com/appscan
15) Arachni
Arachni is an open-source tool built using Ruby, which I found great for penetration testing. I noticed how quickly it could scan for security flaws in web apps. If you need a top-rated solution for web security, I would recommend considering Arachni for your toolkit.
Arachni is a versatile security tool, offering features like platform fingerprinting, user agent spoofing, scope configuration, and custom 404-page detection. It is capable of operating as a simple command line scanner utility or as a high-performance grid of scanners. With options for multiple deployments, it ensures a high level of protection through a verifiable, inspectable code base, and it can easily integrate with browser environments.
Features:
- Compliance Standards: Arachni supports essential compliance standards like PCI DSS, making it great for regulatory adherence.
- Reporting Capabilities: It offers highly detailed and well-structured reports, which helps you thoroughly analyze vulnerabilities.
- Scanning Options: This tool includes both CLI and web application scanners, providing a versatile solution for varied needs.
- Customer Support: You can reach out for customer support via email, which is helpful to address specific issues.
- Supported Platforms: Supported platforms include Windows, BSD, Linux, Unix, and Solaris, making it a versatile option.
Pricing:
- Price: Open source and free to download, it is one of the most cost-effective VAPT tools available.
Download link: https://github.com/Arachni/arachni
16) Wapiti
Wapiti is a well-known penetration testing tool. It helps me check the security of web applications with ease. I could access both GET and POST HTTP methods to identify vulnerabilities. This feature is particularly helpful to improve the security of apps.
Wapiti is a potent tool that allows users to limit scan scopes and supports web application vulnerability scanning. It offers features such as automatically removing URL parameters, cookie imports, SSL certificate verification, and URL extraction from Flash SWF files. It supports HTTPS, HTTP, and SOCKS5 proxies and generates vulnerability reports in several formats.
Features:
- Vulnerability Reporting: It generates vulnerability reports in multiple formats, allowing you to consider your specific needs.
- Scan Suspension: This feature allows you to suspend and resume scans or attacks according to your schedule, which I find essential.
- Attack Module Management: You can activate or deactivate attack modules quickly, making it one of the easiest ways to customize.
- Proxy Support: Supports both HTTP and HTTPS proxies, which is helpful to avoid network restrictions and enhance flexibility.
- Customer Support: Provides Email-based customer support, a great option for timely assistance.
- Supported Platforms: This tool is compatible with Windows and Linux, allowing you to choose the best platform for your needs.
Pricing:
- Price: Open source and free to download, a solution perfect for budget-conscious users.
Download link: https://github.com/wapiti-scanner/wapiti
17) Kismet
Kismet provides excellent network detection and intrusion prevention features. I evaluated its performance on Wi-Fi networks, and it is great for securing various network types. I particularly appreciate the plugin feature, which made it possible to expand its use. It is best to consider this tool when network versatility is required, as Kismet helped me solve issues related to wireless monitoring.
Kismet is a dynamic tool featuring a plug-in architecture for core feature expansion, multiple capture source support, and distributed remote sniffing. It provides XML output for integration with other tools. Additional offerings include integrated libraries, configuration files, Kismet WIDS and Alerts, and Intrusion Detection functionalities. It’s compatible with Windows, Linux, and OSX platforms.
Features:
- PCAP Logging: This penetration testing software allows for standard PCAP logging, ensuring thorough data capture.
- Modular Architecture: Its client/server modular architecture provides flexibility and scalability, great for complex testing environments.
- SIEM Integration: I find it seamlessly integrates with Prelude SIEM, making it one of the best solutions for monitoring.
- BT and BTLE Scanning: This tool supports both BT and BTLE scanning, essential for comprehensive Bluetooth security assessments.
- Customer Support: It offers customer support via email, which might be helpful to users needing quick assistance.
- Supported Platforms: Supported on Linux, OSX, and Windows, it is great for cross-platform penetration testing requirements.
Pricing:
- Price: Open-source and free to download, it is one of the easiest ways to access powerful testing tools.
Download link: https://www.kismetwireless.net/download/
18) OpenSSL
OpenSSL helped me achieve my cryptography goals during my assessment. I found that it is most effective at generating RSA keys and verifying CSR files. As a free and open-source toolkit, it also offers excellent compliance with ISO/IEC standards. This tool is top-rated for those working with cryptography on Windows, and I personally recommend it.
Features:
- Passphrase Removal: This feature completely removes the passphrase from the key, making access straightforward and secure.
- Private Key Creation and Signing: It creates a new private key and allows you to generate a Certificate Signing Request.
- Integration with DPDK and Speck Cipher: Seamlessly integrates with DPDK and Speck Cipher, optimizing performance and encryption efficiency.
- Security Bug Reporting: Provides a solution for reporting security bugs, which helps you maintain a robust security posture.
- Customer Support: Offers customer support through email and phone, ensuring assistance is available when needed.
- Supported Platforms: Supported on Windows, this tool is great for those using this operating system.
Pricing:
- Price: This open-source tool is free to download, making it an excellent cost-effective option.
Download link: https://openssl-library.org/source/
19) Snort
Snort is an ideal open-source security tool I checked out, and I particularly appreciate its dual inspection methods. Throughout my assessment, it made malware detection and protection simpler for me. It is great for pentesting and essential for users who want to avoid security breaches. My advice is to consider Snort as a top choice for those seeking excellent malware defense.
Snort is a versatile pen testing software capable of checking cipher acceptance on URLs and verifying the Certificate Signer Authority. It supports Network, OpenVAS, and Security scanners and enables submission of false positives/negatives. Integrated with Splunk and Cisco, Snort also offers Intrusion Detection capabilities and is available for Windows.
Features:
- Threat and Workspace Protection: Snort accurately detects threats at high speeds, providing a great option for protecting your workspace from emerging attacks quickly and effectively.
- Custom Network Security: Snort allows you to create unique and customized network security solutions, which I found essential.
- SSL Certificate Testing: This tool tests the SSL certificate of specific URLs, which may help secure your connections.
- Customer Support: Snort provides customer support through Email, offering solutions when needed.
- Supported Platforms: Compatible with Windows, making it one of the easiest tools for various environments.
Pricing:
- Price: Snort is an open-source tool available for free download, making it a cost-effective choice.
Download link: https://www.snort.org/downloads
20) THC Hydra
Hydra provided me with a reliable pen testing tool that offered parallel login cracking capabilities. I discovered that it worked across multiple systems with great speed and flexibility. I liked how easy it was to add new modules, which made it ideal for security consultants. THC Hydra is a robust tool supporting rainbow tables for any hash algorithm and charset. It provides time-memory trade-off, password cracking, and network security functionalities. Available on multiple platforms, including Linux, BSD, Solaris, MacOS, Windows, and Android.
Features:
- Multi-Core Processor: This feature allows you to leverage multi-core processors for enhanced computation, improving processing efficiency.
- User Interface: It offers both GUI and Command line interfaces, making it a great option for flexibility in user interaction.
- Rainbow Table Format: The unified rainbow table format supports all operating systems, ensuring compatibility across various platforms. I find this compatibility essential for seamless usage.
- Port Scanner Integration: It includes a built-in port scanner, which helps you assess network security effectively with minimal effort.
- Customer Support: Provides email-based customer support, making it helpful to address queries and troubleshooting quickly.
- Supported Platforms: Compatible with Linux, BSD, Solaris, MacOS, Windows, and Android, giving it one of the best platform coverages.
Pricing:
- Price: It is an open-source tool, free to download, which makes it a cost-effective solution for users.
Download link: https://github.com/vanhauser-thc/thc-hydra
21) USM Anywhere
USM Anywhere is impressive in its ability to track both public IPs and domain reputations. I could access all the necessary information to ensure an organization’s online reputation stays intact. I recommend this tool as a top choice for its free and highly useful features, making it a superior choice for professionals.
USM Anywhere is a cost-effective security solution offering asset scanning, cloud, and network intrusion detection features. It integrates seamlessly with Slack and supports scheduling scans daily, weekly, or monthly. The tool complies with ISO 27001 standards and includes functionalities like user and asset configuration, log storage, and cloud infrastructure assessment. It’s available for Linux, OSX, and Windows.
Features:
- Threat Intelligence & Detection: Delivers continuous threat intelligence and comprehensive detection with actionable directives, aiming to enhance security against emerging threats.
- Cloud Monitoring: It monitors cloud, hybrid cloud, and on-premises infrastructure, allowing you to detect potential vulnerabilities.
- Easy Deployment: It deploys quickly with minimal effort required, which is great for seamless integration into your environment.
- Customer Support: Customer support is accessible via chat, contact form, and phone, offering versatile assistance methods.
- Supported Platforms: Supported on Linux, OSX, and Windows platforms, providing flexibility across different operating systems.
Pricing:
- Price: Plans start at $1075 per month, offering various features suited to diverse security needs.
- Free Trial: A 14-day free trial is available, allowing you to explore the tool’s benefits firsthand.
Download link: https://cybersecurity.att.com/products/usm-anywhere/free-trial
22) John the Ripper
John the Ripper offers excellent password-cracking capabilities, which I evaluated during my review process. It helped me identify weak spots in network security, and I could access vital information about password vulnerabilities. I discovered that John the Ripper is great for protection against brute force and rainbow crack attacks. I would personally recommend it for anyone seeking a solution to improve their security setup. This may help improve the overall network defense.
John the Ripper is an open-source password security auditing and password recovery tool offering functionalities like security scanning, OpenVAD scanning, and Nmap scanning. It allows online browsing of documentation, including version change summaries, and seamlessly integrates with DKMS, Bitbucket Server, Continuous, and LDAP. It adheres to ISO-2022 and ISO-9660 standards, provides intrusion detection, and is available for Linux, Mac, Android, and Windows.
Features:
- Advanced Security Features: It provides proactive password strength checking and supports multiple hash and cipher types, ensuring robust encryption and helping you avoid weak security configurations.
- Documentation Browsing: You can access and browse the online documentation, allowing you to find answers as needed.
- Customer Support: It offers customer support through email and phone, which might be helpful to resolve issues quickly.
- Supported Platforms: Supports Linux, Mac, Android, and Windows, making it a great option for cross-platform compatibility.
Pricing:
- Price: Pro Plans start at $39.95, offering cost-effective solutions for comprehensive security features.
- Free Trial: A basic version is available for free, allowing you to try essential features without a paid commitment.
Download link: https://www.openwall.com/john/
23) Zenmap
Zenmap is the official interface for Nmap Security Scanner, and during my analysis, I was able to evaluate how essential it is for both beginners and advanced users. I could access its free, multi-platform features easily, and it offered me the ability to dive deeper with its advanced tools. Zenmap is a great option for network administrators who need a simple yet powerful tool.
Zenmap is a versatile tool capable of drawing topology maps of discovered networks and showing differences between two scans. It aids administrators in tracking new hosts or services and monitoring existing ones. It supports various scanners, including Nessus, OpenVAS, Core Impact, Nexpose, GFI LanGuard, QualysGuard, Retina, and Secunia PSI. It adheres to ISO standards and is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and other OS via source code.
Features:
- Results Visualization: This feature allows you to view interactive, graphical results, making analysis more intuitive and efficient.
- Scan Summaries: It summarizes key details for a single host or entire scan, ensuring easy access to insights.
- Customer Support: You can reach customer support conveniently through email, aiming to resolve any issues quickly.
- Supported Platforms: Supported on Windows, macOS, Linux (RPM), and more, this tool offers flexibility across major operating systems.
Pricing:
- Price: This open-source tool is free to download, offering excellent value for those on a budget.
- Free Trial: A basic version is available for free, providing you with a great way to try it out.
Download link: https://nmap.org/download.html
The other tools that might be useful for penetration testing are
- Retina: It is more like a vulnerability management tool than a pre-testing tool
- Nessus: It concentrates on compliance checks, sensitive data searches, IPs scan, website scanning, etc.
- CORE Impact: This software can be used for mobile device penetration, password identification, and cracking, network device penetration, etc. It is one of the most expensive tools in Software testing.
- Burpsuite: Like others, this software is also a commercial product. It works by intercepting proxy, web application scanning, crawling content, functionality, etc. The advantage of using Burpsuite is that you can use this on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X environments.
What is Vulnerability Assessment?
Vulnerability Assessment is a process of evaluating security risks in software systems to reduce the probability of threats. The purpose of vulnerability testing is to reduce the possibility of intruders/hackers to get unauthorized access to systems.
Visit to know more about Best Web Vulnerability Scanner & Website Security Tools if you are interested.
What is Penetration Testing?
Penetration Testing or Pen Testing is a type of Security Testing used to cover vulnerabilities, threats, and risks that an attacker could exploit in software applications, networks, or web applications.
Types of Penetration Tests
There are three types of Penetration testing and they are
- Black Box Testing
- White Box Penetration testing
- Grey Box Penetration Testing
How Did We Choose Best VAPT Tools?
At Guru99, our commitment to credibility is unwavering, with a focus on providing accurate, relevant, and objective information. I have dedicated over 199 hours to researching 68+ of the Best VAPT Tools, ensuring a comprehensive list that includes both free and paid options. This curated selection highlights trusted features and pricing, helping you make an informed choice. Selecting the best VAPT tools requires understanding essential features for vulnerability assessments. Our rigorous content creation and review process aims to help users identify the most effective tools, read on to discover our key selection factors.
- Comprehensive Coverage: It is important to consider tools that offer extensive vulnerability coverage.
- User-Friendly Interface: A good idea to choose tools with easy navigation for efficient testing.
- Customization Options: Allows you to tailor the tool according to specific testing needs.
- Integration Capabilities: Make sure you select tools that integrate well with existing systems.
- Reporting Features: One of the best aspects is detailed reporting that helps you track vulnerabilities.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Pay attention to tools that offer great value for investment.
- Scalability: Keep in mind tools that scale well as your business grows.
- Support and Documentation: In fact, strong customer support is essential for ongoing success.
Verdict
Best VAPT Tools help me understand vulnerabilities within a system by performing comprehensive scans, thereby ensuring robust security. With options for cloud platforms and on-premises environments, these tools cover the essential aspects of cybersecurity. Check my verdict for recommendations.
- Astra Pentest provides impressive coverage with both manual and automated scanning capabilities. This tool is ideal for addressing a broad spectrum of vulnerabilities in web and mobile applications.
- ExpressVPN stands out for its robust online security features, ensuring secure browsing by masking IP addresses and encrypting traffic across multiple platforms, making it a reliable choice for individual users.
- Intrusion Detection Software is great for detecting advanced threats. It helps with DSS and HIPAA compliance reports. It monitors suspicious activity constantly, which made it possible to prevent security breaches.
