Which is the Best Tool for Security Testing?

From small cafes to big-box retailers, startups to federal bodies, hackers observe every small opportunity to collect and misuse sensitive details on personality identifiable information (PII). Whether it's Equifax or Facebook, a single susceptibility, a little flaw in the security system has caused it to lose reputation and revenue.

According to security research conducted by Akamai and nearly 75% of modern credential attacks target vulnerable APIs and 84% of software breaches exploit susceptibilities at the application layer. 

If security incidents like this have taught us anything, security can't be taken lightly, and even the best companies are not safe from attackers. Antivirus software is univeral and very commonplace for computer users and companies alike, and antivirus software can help prevent and eliminate viruses. But that may not be enough to protect your entire company. In fact, it definitely won't be.

Web security testing tools are helpful in proactive monitoring, detection, and removal of different types of computer security threats, like vulnerable applications and protecting websites against malicious attacks. 

According to Gartner, by 2022, vulnerabilities involving APIs will become the most frequently attacked vector across all cybersecurity categories.

The two ideal ways to scrutinize the security of a network or website are penetration testing and vulnerability assessment. The pervasiveness of software-related problems has enforced application security testing (AST) tools. Let's first understand what security testing is.

We do security testing to ensure that information within a computer is protected and not accessible by unapproved users. Security testing helps find flaws and loopholes of a web application initially. Moreover, it also tells if an app has successfully encoded security code or not. Security testing includes authentication, authorization, confidentiality, availability, integrity, and non-repudiation. 

Here’s a list of top open-source security testing tools. Cyber security experts use these tools to test every computer system for vulnerability scanning. Testing Vulnerability Analysis Security Vulnerabilities Bugs and weaknesses in software are common. These testing tools are manufactured for several system areas, monitoring its design and highlighting the possible susceptible areas.

1.     Netsparker 

This security scanner is a famous automatic web app used as a penetration testing tool. It's a one-stop-shop for all security needs. This pen testing software can evaluate everything from SQL injection to cross-site scripting. Developers can use this software on web apps, websites, and web services. It's powerful to scan from 500 to 100 web applications simultaneously.

A user will customize your security scan with authentication, attack options, and URL rewrite rules. This open-source web application tool automatically takes leverage of weak areas read-only. Proof of misuse is produced.

The effect of vulnerabilities can be seen immediately. The proof-based scanning technology of Netsparker guarantees precise detection. 

2.     Wireshark

This award-winning network analyzer was previously known as Ethereal 0.2.0 with 600 authors. With this software, users can speedily capture and analyze network packets. It's an open-source security tool available for various systems, including Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, and Windows.

It captures data packets and allows the users to explore several characteristics such as destination protocol and source. Offers live-capture options, intuitive analysis, and offline analysis.

3.     ImmuniWeb

This is a next-gen security tool that uses Artificial Intelligence for security vulnerabilities. This AI-enabled source penetration testing tool provides a holistic benefit package for security professionals, CIOs, CISOs, and web developers. With a one-click virtual patching system, this tool helps in continuous compliance monitoring.

It has a proprietary Multilayer Application Security Testing Technology and analyzes a website for server hardening, compliance, and privacy.

4.     BeEF – Browser Exploitation Framework

This is another pen-testing tool and is perfect for checking a web browser. This is adapted to battle against web-borne attacks and could benefit mobile clients. It uses GitHub to figure out the problems. This software explores the flaws outside the customer system and network perimeter.

Rather the framework will notice exploitability within the context of the web browser. The client-side attack vectors help in checking security posture. It can connect with more than one browser and launch directed command modules. 

5.     Zed Attack Proxy

OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy) is a component of the free OWASP community. It is best for penetration testers and developers new to penetration testing. Perfect for both automated and manual penetrating testing. The project began in 2010 and is daily improved. ZAP functions in a cross-platform environment creating a proxy between the website and the client.

It has 4 modes with customizable options. Users can learn the nitty-gritty of Zap development through Developer Group, Wiki, Source Code, BountySource, OenHub, or Crowdin. 

6.     John The Ripper Password Cracker

Passwords are the most potential vulnerabilities in a system. Attackers can easily target weak passwords and steal credentials and get access to sensitive data. John the Ripper is another free, open-source software that helps assess password vulnerability and password cracking and offers a wide range of systems for password management.

It automatically observes different password hashes. The pro version of this pen-testing tool comprises a customizable cracker and is available for Hash Suite Droid, Hash Suite, Mac OS X, and Linux. 

7.     Kali Linux

It's an advanced penetration testing software that helps in penetration tests. Many experts think this is an ideal tool for password injection and snipping. Nevertheless, you will need expertise in TCP/IP protocols to get the most leverage. Kali Linux is a Linux distribution, and as an open-source project, it provides meta-packages, version tracking, and tool listings.

This tool can be used for brute force password cracking with 64-bit support. It uses live images to test the security expertise of ethical hackers. It has over 600 ethical hacking tools. It reads files for analysis with a wide variety of security tools for information gathering, web applications, password cracking, accurate scanning, reverse engineering, and hardware hacking. 

8.     SQLMap

This penetrating testing tool is endorsed by a detection engine for automatic scanning, identification, and exploitation of SQL injection flaws. Provides all-inclusive support for a broad spectrum of SQL injection techniques and database management systems; SQLMap identifies hash-based passwords automatically and supports arrangements of a dictionary-based attack to crash them.

With around seven layers of verbosity support, this tool provides ETA support for every query and adds flexibility and granularity for users' features and switches. The enumeration and fingerprint features of SQLMap assist in streamlining and efficient penetration test run.

Cyber security for hardware and software is a worldwide issue, and unless this is tackled properly, every person and every business is at risk of losing their sensitive information. They can use this data or sell it to syndicates for illegal activities. Penetration testing is performed to check the viability of cyber security stems and application scanning.

Cyber security experts use all the tools mentioned above to check your system's vulnerability to such cyber-attacks.

And surprisingly, according to AppKnox, only 38% of the leading global organizations are equipped with ways and means to handle such attacks.

We highly recommend another best tool, Wapiti, for security testing. This command-line application security tool crawls through web pages to detect such forms and scripts for database injection. It performs a BlackBox scan and inserts payloads in the detected scripts for vulnerability scanning.

With support for POST HTTP and GET attack methods, this tool produces vulnerability reports in many different formats and features multiple verbosity levels. It monitors vulnerabilities like database injection, file disclosure, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), file inclusion and weak .htaccess configuration, etc. It can distinguish between permanent and reflected threats and initiates warnings whenever an anomaly is observed. 

Here’s another list of some famous Security Penetration Testing Assessment Tools.

• Burp Suite – this tool is perfect for a web browser. It checks apps for security risks and functionality.
• CME – this tool helps automate the security assessment of large active directory networks.
• Wifiphisher – this access point tool helps assess the actual cause of infection.
• PowerSploit – a set of tools used for security assessment and vulnerabilities.
• OWASP ZAP – this application tool is best for beginners in application security.

In the long run, incorporating integrated penetration testing tools into the business’s framework for penetration testing saves time and effort on reworking by detecting and resolving the issues earlier.

Finding the right security testing software shouldn’t have to be overpowering. The tools listed above exemplify some of the top options for developers. Don’t forget one of the best techniques to protect your IT structure is to use penetration testing dynamically. Assess your IT security by searching and discovering security problems to protect your computers and other devices before potential attackers do.