This article lists and describes the most important cybersecurity tools every cybersecurity professional should know. Many companies view cybersecurity one of their top priorities. Cybercrime has increased due to the increasing dependence on technology for critical business operations. Cyberattacks can have devastating results for victims, such as financial loss, reputation damage, and compromised customer data. Cyber-attacks can also lead to costly litigations, where regulations like GDPR could impose heavy fines totaling millions of dollars. Every organization must implement the most effective controls in order to ensure maximum security.
It is difficult to create systems that are completely secure due to the wide scope of cybersecurity. Cybersecurity includes protecting networks from unauthorized access, protecting them from attacks through endpoints, and encrypting all communications. Monitoring the IT environment is a great way to ensure maximum security. Organizations should be familiar with all the cybersecurity tools available and their respective categories. Below is a list of cybersecurity tools.
Testing tools for penetration
Kali Linux
Kali Linux is one the most popular cybersecurity tools. This operating system contains at least 300 tools for security auditing. Kali Linux offers a variety of tools that can be used by organizations to scan their networks for potential vulnerabilities. Kali Linux’s main advantage is its ability to be used by people with different levels cybersecurity knowledge. It does not require advanced cybersecurity knowledge to use it. The majority of tools in the operating system can be executed, so users can easily monitor and manage their network security with just one click. Kali Linux can be used immediately.
Metasploit
Metasploit is a great collection that includes many tools to perform penetration testing exercises. Metasploit is used by cybersecurity professionals and IT experts to achieve a variety of security goals. These include identifying security vulnerabilities in a network or system, formulating strategies to strengthen cybersecurity defense, and managing the completion of security evaluations. Metasploit is able to test the security of various systems, including web-based and online-based applications, networks, and servers. Metasploit detects security flaws as they occur, ensuring that security is always available. Security professionals use Metasploit to assess the security of their IT infrastructure against reported vulnerabilities.
Password Auditing and Pack Snipers Cybersecurity Tools
Cain and Abel
Cain and Abel was one of the first cybersecurity tools to detect vulnerabilities in Windows Operating Systems. Security professionals can use Cain and Abel to find weaknesses in password security systems that run on Windows Operating Systems. It’s a free cybersecurity tool that can be used to recover passwords. It can record VoIP communications and has other functions. Cain and Abel are able to analyze routing protocols and determine if data packets have been compromised.
Cain and Abel also reveal password boxes, cached passwords and use brute force attacks for cracking encrypted passwords. The tool is also capable of decoding scrambled passwords. It is highly effective in cryptoanalysis. Cain and Abel should be considered by companies as a starting point in all packet sniffing processes.
Wireshark
Wireshark is a console-based cybersecurity program, previously known as Ethereal. Wireshark can be used to analyze network protocols. It can also be used to analyze network security real-time. Wireshark analyses network protocols and sniffs the network to detect vulnerabilities. Wireshark can be used to examine all aspects of network traffic at various levels. This includes the connection level and all data packets. Wireshark is used by security professionals to capture data packets, and then analyze the characteristics of individual packets. This information allows easy identification of security weaknesses within the network.
John the Ripper
John the Ripper can be used to test password strength. This tool can quickly identify weak passwords that could pose security risks to a protected system. John the Ripper was originally intended to be used in Unix environments. Current works can be used with Windows, DOS and OpenVMS systems. It can detect encrypted logins, complex encryptions and passwords of hash type. Open ware releases constant updates due to the rapid evolution of password technologies. It is therefore a suitable cybersecurity tool to enhance password security.
Tcpdump
Tcpdump can be used to sniff data packets within a network. It is used by cybersecurity professionals to log and monitor TCP traffic over a network. Tcpdump, a command-based utility software utility that analyzes network traffic between the computer where it is executed and the network through which it passes. Tcpdump is a command-based software utility that tests network security by collecting or filtering TCP/IP traffic sent or received over a specific interface. Tcpdump can describe the contents of packets in network traffic depending on the command that was used.
Cybersecurity tools to protect your network
Netstumbler
Netstumbler, a free cybersecurity tool for Windows-based systems, is available. This tool allows security professionals to identify network ports that are not being used. It can also be used to wardriving. Netstumbler is only compatible with Windows systems. There are no source codes. It uses a WAP-seeking method to find open ports. This makes it one of the most widely used tools for network defense. It is also known for its ability to detect network vulnerabilities that are not present in other security tools.
Aircrack-ng
Aircrack-ng is a suite of utilities that can be used to examine the vulnerabilities of Wi-Fi network security. It is used by cybersecurity professionals to capture data packets that are being transmitted over a network for continuous monitoring. Aircrack-ng also allows you to export captured data packets into text files so that further security assessments can be performed. It also allows capture and injection which is crucial for assessing network card performance. Aircrack-ng also tests the reliability and strength of WEP and WPA-PSK keys. It cracks them to determine if they are strong enough. It’s a comprehensive cybersecurity tool that can be used to enhance and improve network security.
KisMAC
The KisMAC cybersecurity tool was designed to protect wireless networks in the MAC OS X operating systems. It is designed for cybersecurity professionals with a large number of features. It might not be as user-friendly for beginners as other tools that are used for similar purposes. KisMAC passively scans Wi-Fi networks on all supported Wi-Fi cards including Apple’s AirPort Extreme and AirPort. It also supports third-party cards. KisMAC employs different techniques to crack WPA and WEP keys security, including brute force attacks, weak scheduling and exploiting flaws such as the wrong generation security keys and weak scheduling. The keys aren’t secure and thus the network is vulnerable to attacks.
Tools to scan web vulnerabilities
Nmap
Nmap, also known as networkmapper, is an open source and free cybersecurity tool that scans networks and IT systems for security vulnerabilities. It can also be used to perform other important activities, such as monitoring the uptime of hosts or monitoring for potential attack surfaces. Nmap offers many advantages, as it can run on almost all the popular operating systems. It can scan for vulnerabilities in both large and small networks. Nmap provides security professionals with a comprehensive overview of network characteristics. These characteristics include hosts that are connected to the network, the type of firewalls and packet filters used to secure the network, as well as the operating system.
Nikto
Nikto is a great tool for analyzing web vulnerabilities. It’s an open-source tool cybersecurity professionals use to scan and manage web vulnerabilities. Nikto has a database that contains more than 6400 types of threats. This database contains threat data that can be used to compare the results of a vulnerability scan. These scans typically cover both web servers and networks. The database is regularly updated by developers with new threat data so that vulnerabilities can be easily identified. Numerous plugins are constantly developed to ensure that the tool works with various systems.
Nexpose
Security professionals can use Nexpose to scan and manage vulnerabilities in their on-premise infrastructure. It is used by security teams to identify vulnerabilities and minimize system weaknesses. Nexus provides security teams with live view of all activity in a network. Nexus also continuously updates its database to ensure it is up-to-date with the latest threat data. Security professionals can assign vulnerabilities a risk score, which allows them to be prioritized according to their severity. This useful tool allows for coordinated responses to multiple vulnerabilities.
Paros Proxy
Paros Proxy, a Java-based security tool, is available. It includes a variety of useful tools that can be used to perform security checks to find web vulnerabilities. Paros Proxy utility includes vulnerability scanners, web spiders, and traffic recorders for keeping track of network activity in real-time. Paros Proxy can be used to identify intrusion holes in networks. The tool can detect common cybersecurity threats like cross-site Scripting or SQL injection attacks. Paros Proxy’s simplicity makes it easy to use HTTP/HTTPS and rudimentary Java. It’s a great tool to identify vulnerabilities in networks before cyber adversaries exploit them and cause security breaches.
Burp Suite
Burp Suite is a powerful cybersecurity tool that can be used to increase network security. The tool is used by security teams to scan systems in real time and detect critical vulnerabilities. Burp Suite simulates cyberattacks to identify the various ways that cybersecurity threats could compromise network security. Burp Suite is available in three versions: Enterprise, Community and Professional. Enterprise and Professional are both commercial versions, so they are not free. Although the community edition is free, most features are limited. The manual tools that are essential are not included in the community edition. Although Burp Suite can be an effective security tool for businesses, it can be quite costly for small businesses.
Nessus Professional
Nessus Professional can be used to improve the network’s integrity. It can also be used to correct mistakes like incorrect security settings or wrong security patches. It also detects and corrects vulnerabilities. Software bugs, missing or incomplete patches, as well as security issues in operating systems, software apps, and IT devices can all be detected. Administrators and security personnel can use the free open-source vulnerability scanner Nessus Professional to find potential exploits. Its database is constantly updated with new threat data, which is the main advantage of the tools. It also contains current information about vulnerabilities. Users can also access a variety of security plugins and create their own plugins to scan individual networks or computers.
Security tools encryption
TrueCrypt
TrueCrypt has been around for many years and it still is one of the most widely used encryption tools. It can be used for instant encryption. It can encrypt a whole storage device or a portion of it, as well as create virtual encrypted disks within a file. TrueCrypt is a tool for encryption disks. It allows security professionals to use two access control types to encrypt layers of content. TrueCrypt is still a popular encryption tool even though it has been discontinued by its developers.
KeyPass
KeePass is a popular identity management tool used by cybersecurity professionals. It can be used in many office settings. It allows system users to use one password to access all accounts they use for work purposes. KeyPass is more secure than other identity management tools because it offers convenience and security. KeyPass allows users to create unique passwords that they can use to protect different accounts. KeyPass automatically fills in the password for an account when KeyPass has received the master password. KeePass eliminates the possibility of system or network breach due to erroneous password management. KeePass is used by security professionals to manage human-caused security risks.
Tor
Tor is an efficient tool that provides privacy to internet users. It does this by routing users’ requests to different proxy servers so that it is difficult to track their internet activity. While malicious exit nodes can be used to monitor internet traffic, Tor is able to ensure that users are not detected. However, Tor is more effective in protecting information security than it is in preventing cybersecurity incidents.
Tools to monitor network security
Splunk
Splunk can be used to quickly monitor the security of your network. Splunk can be used to perform network analysis in real time and historical searches for threats data. Splunk is a user-friendly cybersecurity software that allows you to perform searches. It also has a unified interface. Splunk is used by security professionals to collect, index, and combine data in searchable repositories. Splunk also generates reports, alerts graphs, visualizations, dashboards, and visualizations in real time.
POf
This cybersecurity tool is widely used to monitor network networks, regardless of whether the developers have not released updates in a while. It is simple and efficient, and doesn’t generate extra data traffic when network monitoring takes place. To detect operating systems on hosts connected to a network, cybersecurity professionals use POf. POf can also be used to perform name lookups and probes as well as various queries. It’s lightweight and fast, making it one of the most widely used network monitoring tools. Advanced security professionals can use it, while rookies may have difficulty learning how to use it.
Argus
Argus, an open-source cybersecurity tool, is one of the most popular for analyzing network traffic. Argus stands for Audit Record Generation & Utilization System. It’s designed to analyze the network data in detail. It can quickly and efficiently analyze large volumes of traffic.
Nagios
Nagios gives security professionals the ability to monitor connected hosts and systems and networks in real time. Once it detects security issues in a network, the tool will send alerts to its users. Users can choose which notification alerts they wish to receive. Nagios monitors network services like SMTP and NNTP.
OSSEC
OSSEC, an open-source cybersecurity tool that detects intrusions in a network, is available. It can provide real-time analysis to users about security events in a system. It can be configured to monitor any points that could allow unauthorized access. These can include files, processes and logs as well rootkits and registries. OSSEC can be used across multiple platforms, which is a great benefit. These platforms include Windows, Linux and Mac, VMWare ESX and BSD, to name a few.
Cybersecurity tools to detect network intrusions
Snort
This application is an open-source network intrusion detection system and prevention tool. It analyzes network traffic to detect attempted intrusions. The embedded intrusion detection and detection tools collect network traffic and compare it with a database that contains previously recorded attacks profiles. Security professionals receive alerts about potential intrusions from the intrusion detection tools. The intrusion prevention tools block malicious traffic and prevent intrusions. Because Snort can be used with any type of hardware and operating system, it’s highly useful. Other functions include protocol analysis, matching and searching data from network traffic, as well as identifying common attacks that are unique to networks. These include CGI attacks and buffer overflow attacks as well as stealth port scanner attacks and fingerprinting attacks.
Acunetix
Organizations fear that cybercriminals could execute attacks directly through social engine attacks, internal threats or through the implemented firewalls. The organizations might not be able to focus on security operations for web-based apps like login pages, online forms and shopping carts. Acunetix was created to allow businesses to create defenses against the thousands of security threats that are unique to their sites and applications. Acunetix often crawls through a system architecture, performing convectional attacks in order to determine the effectiveness of security defenses.
Forcepoint
Forcepoint is used by network and security administrators to modify SD-Wan so that restricted users cannot access certain resource contents. These customizations can also be used to prevent intrusions and exploits. Forcepoint allows network administrators to quickly identify suspicious activity in their network and take the appropriate action. This is a significant advantage over other tools that first detect the problem and then apply the appropriate measures. Forcepoint is designed for cloud users and includes practical functions such as warning or blocking cloud servers that could pose security risks. Forcepoint can also be used in other applications to provide additional security and more access to sensitive information.
GFI LanGuard
GFI LanGuard, a cybersecurity tool, is used to monitor and scan networks for vulnerabilities, then apply patches as necessary. This tool is one of the few cybersecurity networks that can demonstrate an organization’s commitment towards security compliance by applying in network security. The tool also provides network and software auditing that can identify vulnerabilities in desktop computers and mobile devices connected to a network. It automatically creates patches, making it popular with users of Windows, Mac, and Linux.
