Best Kali Linux Tools List for Hacking (2021) – Hacking Tools for Beginners
Kali Linux is a Debian-derived Linux distribution that is maintained by Offensive Security. It was developed by Mati Aharoni and Devon Kearns. Kali Linux is a specially designed OS for network analysts, Penetration testers, or in simple words, it is for those who work under the umbrella of cybersecurity and analysis.
Kali Linux comes packed with more than 350 tools which could be useful for hacking or penetration testing. Here we have the list of important Kali Linux tools that could save a lot of your time and effort.
1. Nmap : Best Kali Linux Tool
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Nmap is an open-source network scanner that is used to recon/scan networks. It is used to discover hosts, ports, and services along with their versions over a network. It sends packets to the host and then analyzes the responses in order to produce the desired results. It could even be used for host discovery, operating system detection, or scanning for open ports. It is one of the most popular reconnaissance tools.
2. Burp Suite : Best Kali Linux Tool
Burp Suite is one of the most popular web application security testing software. It is used as a proxy, so all the requests from the browser with the proxy pass through it. And as the request passes through the burp suite, it allows us to make changes to those requests as per our need which is good for testing vulnerabilities like XSS or SQLi or even any vulnerability related to the web.
Kali Linux comes with burp suite community edition which is free but there is a paid edition of this tool known as burp suite professional which has a lot many functions as compared to burp suite community edition.
To use burpsuite:
- Read this to learn how to setup burp suite.
- Open terminal and type “burpsuite” there.
- Go to the Proxy tab and turn the interceptor switch to on.
- Now visit any URL and it could be seen that the request is captured.
3. Wireshark : Best Kali Linux Tool
Wireshark is a network security tool used to analyze or work with data sent over a network. It is used to analyze the packets transmitted over a network. These packets may have information like the source IP and the destination IP, the protocol used, the data, and some headers. The packets generally have an extension of “.pcap” which could be read using the Wireshark tool. Read thisto learn how to set up and configure Wireshark.
To use wireshark:
- Open Wireshark and download a demo pcap file from here
- Press”ctrl+o” to open a pcap file in wireshsark.
- Now it can be seen that it display the list of packets along with the headers of these packets.
4. metasploit Framework : Best Kali Linux Tool
Metasploit is an open-source tool that was designed by Rapid7 technologies. It is one of the world’s most used penetration testing frameworks. It comes packed with a lot of exploits to exploit the vulnerabilities over a network or operating systems. Metasploit generally works over a local network but we can use Metasploit for hosts over the internet using “port forwarding“. Basically Metasploit is a CLI based tool but it even has a GUI package called “armitage” which makes the use of Metasploit more convenient and feasible.
To use metasploit:
- Metasploit comes pre-installed with Kali Linux
- Just enter “msfconsole” in the terminal.
5. aircrack-ng : Best Kali Linux Tool
Aircrack is an all in one packet sniffer, WEP and WPA/WPA2 cracker, analyzing tool and a hash capturing tool. It is a tool used for wifi hacking. It helps in capturing the package and reading the hashes out of them and even cracking those hashes by various attacks like dictionary attacks. It supports almost all the latest wireless interfaces.
To use aircrack-ng:
- aircrack-ng comes pre-compiled with Kali Linux.
- Simply type aircrack-ng in the terminal to use it.
6. Netcat : Best Kali Linux Tool
Netcat is a networking tool used to work with ports and performing actions like port scanning, port listening, or port redirection. This command is even used for Network Debugging or even network daemon testing. This tool is considered as the Swiss army knife of networking tools. It could even be used to do the operating related to TCP, UDP, or UNIX-domain sockets or to open remote connections and much more.
To use netcat:
- Netcat comes pre-installed with Kali Linux.
- Just type “nc” or “netcat” in the terminal to use the tool.
- To perform port listening type the following commands in 2 different terminals.
7. John the Ripper : Best Kali Linux Tool
John the Ripper is a great tool for cracking passwords using some famous brute for attacks like dictionary attack or custom wordlist attack etc. It is even used to crack the hashes or passwords for the zipped or compressed files and even locked files as well. It has many available options to crack hashes or passwords.
To use John the Ripper:
- John the ripper comes pre-installed in Kali Linux.
- Just type “john” in the terminal to use the tool.
8. sqlmap : Best Kali Linux Tool
sqlmap is one of the best tools to perform SQL injection attacks. It just automates the process of testing a parameter for SQL injection and even automates the process of exploitation of the vulnerable parameter. It is a great tool as it detects the database on its own so we just have to provide a URL to check whether the parameter in the URL is vulnerable or not, we could even use the requested file to check for POST parameters.
To use sqlmap tool:
- sqlmap comes pre-installed in Kali Linux
- Just type sqlmap in the terminal to use the tool.
9. Autopsy : Best Kali Linux Tool
Autopsy is a digital forensics tool that is used to gather the information form forensics. Or in other words, this tool is used to investigate files or logs to learn about what exactly was done with the system. It could even be used as a recovery software to recover files from a memory card or a pen drive.
To use autopsy tool:
- Autopsy comes pre-installed in Kali Linux
- Just type “autopsy” in the terminal.
- Now visit http://localhost:9999/autopsy in order to use the tool
10. Social Engineering Toolkit : Best Kali Linux Tool
Social Engineering Toolkit is a collection of tools that could be used to perform social engineering attacks. These tools use and manipulate human behavior for information gathering. it is a great tool to phish the websites even.
To use Social Engineering Toolkit
- Social Engineering Toolkit comes pre-installed with Kali Linux
- Just type “setoolkit” in the terminal.
- Agree to the terms and conditions to start using the social engineering toolkit.
Best Kali Linux Tools List for Hacking (2021) – Hacking Tools for Beginners
Kali Linux is a Debian-derived Linux distribution that is maintained by Offensive Security. It was developed by Mati Aharoni and Devon Kearns. Kali Linux is a specially designed OS for network analysts, Penetration testers, or in simple words, it is for those who work under the umbrella of cybersecurity and analysis.
Kali Linux comes packed with more than 350 tools which could be useful for hacking or penetration testing. Here we have the list of important Kali Linux tools that could save a lot of your time and effort.
1. Nmap : Best Kali Linux Tool
Nmap is an open-source network scanner that is used to recon/scan networks. It is used to discover hosts, ports, and services along with their versions over a network. It sends packets to the host and then analyzes the responses in order to produce the desired results. It could even be used for host discovery, operating system detection, or scanning for open ports. It is one of the most popular reconnaissance tools.
2. Burp Suite : Best Kali Linux Tool
Burp Suite is one of the most popular web application security testing software. It is used as a proxy, so all the requests from the browser with the proxy pass through it. And as the request passes through the burp suite, it allows us to make changes to those requests as per our need which is good for testing vulnerabilities like XSS or SQLi or even any vulnerability related to the web.
Kali Linux comes with burp suite community edition which is free but there is a paid edition of this tool known as burp suite professional which has a lot many functions as compared to burp suite community edition.
To use burpsuite:
- Read this to learn how to setup burp suite.
- Open terminal and type “burpsuite” there.
- Go to the Proxy tab and turn the interceptor switch to on.
- Now visit any URL and it could be seen that the request is captured.
3. Wireshark : Best Kali Linux Tool
Wireshark is a network security tool used to analyze or work with data sent over a network. It is used to analyze the packets transmitted over a network. These packets may have information like the source IP and the destination IP, the protocol used, the data, and some headers. The packets generally have an extension of “.pcap” which could be read using the Wireshark tool. Read thisto learn how to set up and configure Wireshark.
To use wireshark:
- Open Wireshark and download a demo pcap file from here
- Press”ctrl+o” to open a pcap file in wireshsark.
- Now it can be seen that it display the list of packets along with the headers of these packets.
4. metasploit Framework : Best Kali Linux Tool
Metasploit is an open-source tool that was designed by Rapid7 technologies. It is one of the world’s most used penetration testing frameworks. It comes packed with a lot of exploits to exploit the vulnerabilities over a network or operating systems. Metasploit generally works over a local network but we can use Metasploit for hosts over the internet using “port forwarding“. Basically Metasploit is a CLI based tool but it even has a GUI package called “armitage” which makes the use of Metasploit more convenient and feasible.
To use metasploit:
- Metasploit comes pre-installed with Kali Linux
- Just enter “msfconsole” in the terminal.
5. aircrack-ng : Best Kali Linux Tool
Aircrack is an all in one packet sniffer, WEP and WPA/WPA2 cracker, analyzing tool and a hash capturing tool. It is a tool used for wifi hacking. It helps in capturing the package and reading the hashes out of them and even cracking those hashes by various attacks like dictionary attacks. It supports almost all the latest wireless interfaces.
To use aircrack-ng:
- aircrack-ng comes pre-compiled with Kali Linux.
- Simply type aircrack-ng in the terminal to use it.
6. Netcat : Best Kali Linux Tool
Netcat is a networking tool used to work with ports and performing actions like port scanning, port listening, or port redirection. This command is even used for Network Debugging or even network daemon testing. This tool is considered as the Swiss army knife of networking tools. It could even be used to do the operating related to TCP, UDP, or UNIX-domain sockets or to open remote connections and much more.
To use netcat:
- Netcat comes pre-installed with Kali Linux.
- Just type “nc” or “netcat” in the terminal to use the tool.
- To perform port listening type the following commands in 2 different terminals.
7. John the Ripper : Best Kali Linux Tool
John the Ripper is a great tool for cracking passwords using some famous brute for attacks like dictionary attack or custom wordlist attack etc. It is even used to crack the hashes or passwords for the zipped or compressed files and even locked files as well. It has many available options to crack hashes or passwords.
To use John the Ripper:
- John the ripper comes pre-installed in Kali Linux.
- Just type “john” in the terminal to use the tool.
8. sqlmap : Best Kali Linux Tool
sqlmap is one of the best tools to perform SQL injection attacks. It just automates the process of testing a parameter for SQL injection and even automates the process of exploitation of the vulnerable parameter. It is a great tool as it detects the database on its own so we just have to provide a URL to check whether the parameter in the URL is vulnerable or not, we could even use the requested file to check for POST parameters.
To use sqlmap tool:
- sqlmap comes pre-installed in Kali Linux
- Just type sqlmap in the terminal to use the tool.
9. Autopsy : Best Kali Linux Tool
Autopsy is a digital forensics tool that is used to gather the information form forensics. Or in other words, this tool is used to investigate files or logs to learn about what exactly was done with the system. It could even be used as a recovery software to recover files from a memory card or a pen drive.
To use autopsy tool:
- Autopsy comes pre-installed in Kali Linux
- Just type “autopsy” in the terminal.
- Now visit http://localhost:9999/autopsy in order to use the tool
10. Social Engineering Toolkit : Best Kali Linux Tool
Social Engineering Toolkit is a collection of tools that could be used to perform social engineering attacks. These tools use and manipulate human behavior for information gathering. it is a great tool to phish the websites even.
To use Social Engineering Toolkit
- Social Engineering Toolkit comes pre-installed with Kali Linux
- Just type “setoolkit” in the terminal.
- Agree to the terms and conditions to start using the social engineering toolkit.