If you are looking for an answer to this question, you are definitely in the right place. The list below covers the best hacking tools in their fields. These are the most accurate hack software that will help those advancing on the path to becoming a hacker to improve themselves.
Before proceeding to our article, it is useful to state this: Hacking software does not make you a hacker. Hacking software consists of elements that assist a hacker.
What is Hacker Software?
Hacker software is a type of software designed to exploit security vulnerabilities in computer systems or networks. The purpose of such software is usually to gain unauthorized access to systems or to steal sensitive data. There are many types of hacking software, including viruses, Trojans, spyware, keyloggers, and rootkits. Such software can be used to take control of a computer, monitor user activity, steal passwords, or disrupt computer systems. While some types of hacking software, such as penetration testing tools that help organizations identify vulnerabilities in their computer systems, can be used for ethical purposes, using hacking software to gain unauthorized access to computer systems or networks is illegal and can result in serious penalties.
Why is Hacker Software Important?
When it comes to hacking, it is perfectly natural to feel paranoid that our computer system will be harmed. When we think of this on a company basis, things can get a bit more professional. Employers may need a professional expert to protect their data in hardware and software systems from attackers. This makes the need for ethical hacking extremely distinct and important. Companies are hiring ethical hackers every day.
In light of this information, hack software has begun to occupy an extremely important place in our personal and business lives. To mention the general features of hack software:
- It ensures that data is protected securely.
- It is used to test by finding and fixing gaps in network security.
- It allows you to get a vulnerability assessment to protect your networks or systems against external attacks.
- It is also used to audit the company’s security by ensuring the computer system runs smoothly.
Best Hacker Softwares
mSpy
One of the most used tools for spying on smartphones is mSpy, a parental control service that can be used to check everything a person does with their smartphone, including reading the history of sent and received messages, accessing multimedia files, and knowing the exact location. You can record all touches made to the screen and keyboard to copy access credentials using GPS.
To use mSpy, you must first install it on the device to be spied on. Because only then will the application be able to create a data log. Once installed, it will run in the background without creating notifications and consuming almost no resources. This will make mSpy difficult to detect. This service, whose plans are paid, is available for Android and iOS devices.
Intruder
Intruder is a cloud-based software tool that finds cybersecurity weaknesses and prioritizes them, allowing companies to avoid serious security risks. Founded by Chris Wallis in 2015, Intruder’s goal is to minimize or eliminate the risk associated with potential cybersecurity data breaches.
Intruder is famous for its ability to prioritize issues to ensure you focus on the problems with the highest probability of risk. However, it allows you to scan all your servers, clouds, websites, and devices to find, identify, and prioritize missing updates and patches, misconfigurations, encryption issues, and much more.
The software ensures you are safe even against the latest threats and have time to act before it is too late. Cyber attackers usually move quickly to exploit security vulnerabilities. Intruder ensures that individuals and companies are safe in this context.
Intruder, a SaaS product, is easy to set up and configure. Supported integrations include Microsoft Teams, Zapier, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Slack, and Jira. Containing more than 65,000 local checks for known vulnerabilities, new ones are constantly added to Intruder.
What Can Be Done With Intruder?
- You can test web applications, supporting services, and infrastructure to ensure there are no gaps and vulnerabilities.
- You can perform API penetration tests to reveal extensive weaknesses in exposed APIs.
- It allows you to review cloud infrastructures for misconfigured cloud systems.
- It makes recommendations to improve or implement best security practices.
Intruder, which is normally paid software, also has a free trial version.
Nmap
Short for Network Mapper, Nmap is used as a vulnerability scanning and network discovery tool on a system. It is mostly used by cybersecurity experts and network administrators to query which devices or hosts are connected to a network and whether there are open points in the services offered.
Nmap is an advanced security scanner. It is one of the most effective tools developed in this sense. Although it has been around for a very long time, it is quite reliable. As one of the oldest hacking software, Nmap is still updated regularly.
You can download and use Nmap for free. It runs as open source on all major computer operating systems with official binaries for Windows, Linux, and macOS.
There is something novice hackers should pay attention to, especially if they have never used this hacking software before: Nmap is actually a command-line tool. However, Nmap includes an advanced graphical user interface called Zenmap.
What Can Be Done With Nmap?
- You can discover hosts on a network.
- You can detect open ports on remote hosts.
- It allows you to scan hosts for vulnerabilities that others can exploit.
- It has advanced network mapping and enumeration features.
Metasploit
Metasploit is penetration testing software consisting of a series of hacking tools and frameworks. In other words, it functions as both a tool you can use to exploit remote vulnerabilities and a platform to develop your own exploit modules. It is literally a search and destroy situation for hackers.
If you are someone just starting your work on the path to becoming a hacker and are in a position to learn only one hacking tool, then your priority should be Metasploit. Because the project is one of the largest, constantly updated, and most famous open-source software in the field of information security.
You can download and use Metasploit for free on 3 main computer operating systems (Linux, Mac, and Windows). However, if you are going to do pentesting (penetration testing) professionally, it will probably be better to get the Pro version of Metasploit.
What Can Be Done With Metasploit?
- You can run vulnerability scans.
- You can exploit vulnerabilities in remote targets.
- You can automate hacking tasks with scripts.
Wireshark
Wireshark is known as a network protocol or packet analyzer. It allows users to best read what is happening on a network and see it at a microscopic level.
Network and cybersecurity experts around the world frequently use Wireshark to capture and examine network traffic or packets in real-time and in-depth. Wireshark, which is quite powerful software, is a tool that has been on the market for a long time.
If you are a novice hacker, you should take the time to learn how to use this software effectively. Because the knowledge you gain will be an important part of your workflow going forward.
You can download and use Wireshark for free. Since it is open source and multi-platform, it can run on many computers with Windows, Linux, and Mac OS operating systems.
What Can Be Done With Wireshark?
- Opportunity for deep inspection and offline analysis of hundreds of protocols.
- You can read live data via tools like Ethernet, IEEE 802.11, ATM, USB, Bluetooth.
- You can read many capture file formats like Libpcap.
- It has decryption support for many protocols (such as IPsec, Kerberos, SSL/TLS, WPA/WPA2).
Hashcat
Hashcat is among the favorites among hackers’ password cracking software. Designed to crack even the most complex passwords, Hashcat is a super-powerful multi-hash cracking and brute-forcing tool.
Hashcat essentially works like this: You must give this software a password hash or a file containing password hashes, and then select a word list on which you will apply brute force. From this moment on, Hashcat will start hashing your list and comparing it with the target password hashes at super speed. If it catches a match, congratulations; it means it found the password.
Hashcat uses your computer’s GPU heavily to facilitate password-cracking attacks. Therefore, since you will be doing a lot of password cracking in your penetration tests, you must have a very good computer.
Free and open source, Hashcat is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac. Let us also mention that Hashcat has two varieties. These two versions, called CPU and GPU-based Hashcat, have been merged simply as Hashcat since version 3.00.
Briefly, here is what you can do with Hashcat:
- Brute-Force attack
- Dictionary attack
- Permutation attack
- Rule-based attack
Burp Suite
Burp Suite is an integrated platform you can use to test the security of web applications. It can allow you to do almost anything you want (from a blocking proxy to a state-of-the-art vulnerability scanner) while testing the security of a web application.
If you are a novice hacker and looking for a web application security testing device, we definitely recommend you take a look at this software.
Although Burp Suite is a commercial security tool, there is a version with limited features that you can download and use for free. It is available on all three main computer operating systems (Windows, macOS, and Linux).
What Can Be Done With Burp Suite?
- You can automate scanning for vulnerabilities.
- You can automate customized attacks.
- You can process and repeat web requests.
Acunetix
Acunetix is a fully automated ethical hacking tool that scans any website or web application accessed via a web browser and uses the HTTP/HTTPS protocol. It has powerful and fast solutions for analyzing complex web applications built on programming languages like Javascript, AJAX, and custom web applications.
Easy to install and intuitive, Acunetix allows you to start scanning with just a few clicks. Running on Windows, Linux, and macOS, the software offers users a wide range of tools they can refer to.
What Can Be Done With Acunetix?
- Detects more than 7000 security vulnerabilities such as SQL injections, XSS, weak passwords, misconfigurations, and exposed databases.
- Scans single-page applications, web applications, and complex web applications.
- Can be integrated with a range of issue tracking systems such as Atlassian JIRA, GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, Bugzilla, or Mantis.
- Scans your site’s password-protected pages and multi-level forms thanks to Macro recording technology.
- Offers suggestions on how to resolve vulnerabilities along with a detailed report containing the vulnerabilities found.
- The site structure and all pages of the site scanned by the scanner can be seen in the Acunetix report.
- Supports specific compliance standards like HIPAA, ISO, NIST, OWASP Top 10, PCI DSS.
- Supports integrations with web application firewalls such as F5, Fortinet, Imperva, Citrix, AWS, and others.
SQLmap
SQLmap is an automated SQL injection and database hacking tool. It automates the detection and exploitation of SQL injection vulnerabilities. As a result, it enables the partial or complete takeover of a database server.
This hack software exploits the vulnerabilities of some database management systems such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Microsoft SQL Server. SQLmap has a total of six SQL injection techniques with which you can attack databases.
If you are going to perform tests to harden servers or fix errors, we definitely recommend using SQLmap. SQLmap, a Python software, can therefore run on an operating system where the Python programming language is installed. It is free and open-source software.
What Can Be Done With SQLmap?
- Has an injection error detection engine.
- Database fingerprinting and user discovery.
- Accessing the underlying file system and executing remote commands.
Social-Engineer Toolkit
The Social-Engineer Toolkit (SET) is a set of advanced hacking software used to simulate multiple social engineering attacks such as phishing attacks and accessing confidential user information.
SET is designed to test as if it were a human, attacking human behaviors rather than computers. Like all other social engineering tools, it is very successful in its field.
SET is free and open-source hacking software. Although usually built for the UNIX platform, it can run on any computer running the Python programming language.
What Can Be Done With Social-Engineer Toolkit?
- Creating phishing pages
- HTA attack
- Full-screen attack
- Tabnabbing attack (phishing attack trying to capture information by pulling users of the original site with a fake site)
Evilginx
Evilginx is advanced next-generation phishing software capable of stealing passwords and 2FA tokens on a website. It allows you to automatically create dynamic phishing pages with minimal effort.
Phishing is a highly successful attack vector used by cybercriminals. Evilginx is one of the best tools with which you can teach your employees and friends how to detect and avoid phishing attacks.
This hack software has been quiet in the market for a while. Nevertheless, it attracted a lot of attention due to its ability to defeat the two-factor authentication security mechanism.
Evilginx is free and open-source software. You can download and run it on any computer operating system where the GO programming language is installed. However, if you are going to use Evilginx in a real-life phishing attack, we recommend installing it on a Linux server in the cloud.
What Can Be Done With Evilginx?
- You can create dynamic phishing pages for any website.
- You can capture 2FA tokens.
- It allows you to capture session tokens by completely bypassing username, password, and 2FA.
Nikto
First released in December 2001, Nikto is a free command-line vulnerability scanner. It is also a security tool used to identify outdated software, dangerous files, and other issues.
Such software are tools used by hackers who want to sneak into a system or send malware to a system. They use cookies to perform server-specific and general checks.
Nikto has a simple-to-understand command-line interface that makes it easy for you to use vulnerability testing for your target. Nikto, which allows you to check the configuration of web servers by searching for outdated software, can scan ports here and multiple servers in a session. The software, which is quite capable of capturing usernames and passwords, also applies an anti-IDS attack during this process.
The software displays an output on the screen after each scan. If you wish, you can request a report in plain text, XML, HTML, NBE, or CSV format. Reports can be customized by applying a pre-written template. Or you can write your own format template.
What Can Be Done With Nikto?
- Checks web servers, plugins, and identifies dangerous files, old versions, and misconfigured files.
- Automatically identifies default installation files on any operating system.
- Detects outdated software applications.
- Offers integration support for Metasploit Framework.
- Performs cross-site scripting vulnerability tests.
Aircrack-ng
Aircrack-ng is software you can use to hack WiFi networks. Included in the package is a tool to fully test WiFi network security. Along with monitoring and capturing wireless network packets, it allows you to crack wireless encryptions to reveal WiFi passwords.
It is one of the most popular de facto tools for WiFi hacking. Existing for a long time, this software still receives regular updates from time to time. This keeps Aircrack-ng always fresh and in the position it deserves.
Aircrack-ng is free and open source. It is primarily a UNIX tool and is heavily command-line based. Besides that, it can also run on Windows computers.
What Can Be Done With Aircrack-ng?
- Allows you to monitor and reach wireless network packets.
- Allows you to perform replay and fake access point attacks.
- Cracking wireless encryption standards (WEP, WPA, and WPA2).
Nessus
Nessus is a tool that checks both hardware and software for vulnerabilities and also monitors network traffic patterns. We can call Nessus a kind of firewall/antivirus system, but not exactly. Although it has remediation procedures, it is not very comprehensive regarding solutions.
Capable of performing in-depth scans for known vulnerabilities, the software has the ability to detect misconfigurations that could lead to security issues. The tool also has an integrated IDS engine capable of detecting network-based attacks. Nessus can be installed on Windows, Linux, OS X, Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, FreeBSD, and more.
Nessus, which has paid and free versions, has some striking figures even if it doesn’t make much noise. The free version of the software, which has more than 2 million downloads worldwide, is more for students who cannot pay for software. Scan works are limited to 16 IP addresses, but paid versions are much more powerful.
What Can Be Done With Nessus?
- Helps implement PCI DSS requirements for secure configuration, system hardening, malware detection, web application scanning, and access controls.
- Provides comprehensive vulnerability coverage for malware and botnets, configuration auditing, and web applications.
- Can perform basic network scans and authenticate hosts on the network.
- Can detect ransomware.
- Can perform malware scans and verify policy compliance.
Recon-ng
Recon-ng is an open-source intelligence information gathering tool. It is a full-featured reconnaissance tool consisting of different modules to investigate different types of information about the target. Information such as e-mail addresses, sites registered with these e-mails, names, phone numbers, and home addresses can be accessed.
Keşif (Reconnaissance) is one of the tools that should be in every hacker’s pocket. If you haven’t used it before, I recommend you take a look. It is free and open source. Let us also mention that it can run on a computer where the Python programming language is installed.
What Can Be Done With Recon-ng?
- Allows you to access the target profile’s information.
- Allows you to research technical information and access details such as geolocation and IP.
Rainbow Crack
Rainbow Crack is one of the software that allows hackers to crack passwords with a 100% success rate in a few seconds. To mention the dynamics of the software, Rainbow Crack actually works on a simple concept. Instead of calculating hashes dynamically for each password and comparing them with the correct one during cracking, it pre-calculates password hashes for all character sets. It then stores these hashes in datasets called Rainbow Tables. So this software focuses on comparing with pre-calculated hashes and obtaining the relevant plain text passwords. This takes much less of the hacker’s time compared to the traditional brute-force cracking method.
Setting up the Rainbow Table for various character sets is only a one-time process. Also, depending on the character set and the speed of the machine, it can take days or months. Once the Rainbow Tables are ready, you can feed the password hash and crack the password you want to obtain in seconds.
What Can Be Done With Rainbow Crack?
- Allows you to perform the password cracking process within seconds.
- Supports Rainbow Table in raw (.rt) and compact file format.
- Supports Rainbow Table of any hash algorithm.
- Graphic user interface does not tire, allows you to easily perform the operation you want.
Canvas
Canvas is among the best Metasploit alternative software offering more than 800 exploits so you can test remote networks. Having an automated exploit system, Canvas is used by penetration testing and security experts worldwide.
Canvas, which allows you to take screenshots of remote systems, allows downloading passwords from the system as well as modifying files within the system. The software, which has some tricks that allow you to obtain the administrator title in the system, allows you to write new exploits. It also integrates an alternative to nmap called scanrand, which is useful for host discovery in addition to performing port scanning on medium and large networks.
What Can Be Done With Canvas?
- Allows you to access remote networks.
- Allows you to take control by enabling you to reach the highest administrator rank in the system.
- Allows you to carefully select vulnerabilities in the system and act result-oriented.
Fortify WebInspect
Fortify WebInspect is a DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing) solution that helps most security experts and QA testers uncover issues such as vulnerabilities. This tool works to mimic real-world external security attacks on a live application. It has the capability to be maintained fully automatically as well as most REST APIs for easier integration.
You can use Fortify WebInspect as a fully automated solution to suit DevOps and scaling requirements. Moreover, it integrates seamlessly with SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle). REST APIs automate scans and ensure compliance standards are met.
You can easily integrate any Selenium script with Fortify WebInspect. Fortify WebInspect allows you to work with any DevOps workflow by supporting Swagger and OData formats via the WISwag command-line tool. Scan templates can be pre-configured by ScanCentral Admin.
What Can Be Done With Fortify WebInspect?
- Prevents you from missing important content by scanning workflows with HAR files.
- Offers pre-configured reports for important online application security compliance regulations such as PCI DSS, DISA STIG, NIST 800-53, ISO 27K, OWASP, and HIPAA.
- Helps you monitor trends in an application and take action on the most critical issues to meet DevOps requirements.
L0phtCrack
L0phtCrack is password cracking and recovery software developed in the late 1990s by L0pht Heavy Industries (now known as L0phtCrack, LLC). It is designed to recover lost or forgotten passwords for various account types, including Windows, UNIX, and Novell networks.
The software uses various methods such as dictionary attacks, brute-force attacks, and cryptanalysis to crack passwords. The software is widely used by security experts, system administrators, and IT audit teams.
What Can Be Done With L0phtCrack?
- Detecting weak passwords and decoding these passwords.
- ‘Recovering’ passwords belonging to Windows local and domain, UNIX and Linux, Novell, Microsoft SQL, Oracle Database, and Lotus Notes accounts.
- Built-in scheduler for automated password cracking.
- Providing reports and statistics regarding the password cracking process.
- Password cracking support on local and remote systems.