The 19 Best Ethical Hacking Tools in 2023 [Free + Paid]

In 2023 and beyond, cybercrime continues to grow exponentially, leading to a projected annual cost of $10.5 trillion by 2025 (that's trillion!). It’s no wonder that lucrative industries like banking and finance employ ethical hackers to secure data and ensure their clients are protected from the threat of fraud.

As a career path, ethical hackers can earn annual salaries above $85K, making it an attractive career transition for cybersecurity experts that want to switch from network administration. It’s also one of the many reasons beginners want to learn ethical hacking from scratch.

That said, if you’re looking for jobs in cybersecurity and ethical hacking, you’ll need to be familiar with hacking tools and hacking software to assess weaknesses within computer systems or networks. 

So if you already have one of the best laptops for hacking, how can you find the right hacking tools for your system? No problem! We’ve taken the time to research the available options and narrowed it down to 19 options for the best ethical hacking software in 2023.

So whether you’re interested in network hacking, password cracking, vulnerability assessment, or wireless hacking, we’ve found various free and paid tools on multiple platforms. Let’s dive in!

The Best Network Hacking Tools

These ethical hacker tools are generally used to identify network vulnerabilities, manipulate data, monitor activity, and perform a range of attacks.

1. LiveAction

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Main Feature: Network visibility, forensics, and application performance monitoring 

Free or Paid: Paid (free trial option)

Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, Mac.

Why we chose this hacking tool

Based on our findings, this network hacking tool is ideal if you need a simple, real-time analytics tool with networked application performance, customizable dashboards, detailed reporting, alerts, actionable casebooks, troubleshooting, and workflows.

If you’re a beginner and some of these concepts seem a little alien, you might benefit from reading some of the best ethical hacking books to boost your knowledge and get the most out of this tool

Pros:

• Real-time network monitoring
• Network visualization and topology mapping
• Traffic analysis, including patterns and bottlenecks
• Security and threat detection features to mitigate threats

Cons:

• It can be complex for beginners
• Maintenance can be costly

2. Nmap

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Main Feature:  Network discovery and security auditing.

Free or Paid: Free

Supported Platforms:  Windows, Linux, Mac

Why we chose this hacking tool

Our research shows that this is one of the best free hacking tools for scanning networks and discovering everything connected, providing additional information about each connected device, application, or system. 

Pros:

• Comprehensive network discovery, including IP, ports, OS, and more
• Service version detection for port services
• Flexible Nmap Scripting Engine (NSE) helps automate scanning tasks

Cons:

• Only features a command-line interface
• Limited support for Windows

3.Nessus

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Main Feature:  Network vulnerability scanning.

Free or Paid: Paid (free ‘Essentials’ version available with limited features)

Supported Platforms:  Windows, Linux, Mac.

Why we chose this hacking tool

Employing the Nessus Attack Scripting Language (NASL), this hacking tool outlines and describes threats in simple terms while also recommending actions that can be taken.

Our research also indicates that it offers easy cross-linking between compliant security tools because it uses CVE architecture.

Pros:

• Displays missing patches as well as older fixes
• Prioritizes threats that should be addressed first
• Simple, scalable, and user-friendly

Cons:

• Limited to single scans
• Reports are not presented graphically

4.SQLMap

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Main Feature: Automates detection and exploitation of SQL injection flaws and assists in taking over database servers.

Free or Paid: Free

Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Why we chose this hacking tool

Our testing shows that this free hacking software is ideal for automating SQL injection vulnerabilities. Once you’ve identified a database or website susceptible to SQL injection, you can use this tool to test for weaknesses and exploit them to take over the database. 

Pros:

• Automates discovery of SQL injections on a web application
• Supports a range of SQL injections
• Performs advanced queries

Cons:

• No graphical user interface
• Requires manual confirmation of a vulnerability

The Best Password Cracking Tools

These tools are used to discover user passwords by using brute-force attacks, dictionary attacks, rainbow tables, and other techniques.

5. John the Ripper

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Main Feature:  Password security auditing, password recovery, brute force attacks.

Free or Paid: Free

Supported Platforms:  Windows, Linux, Mac

Why we chose this hacking tool

If you’re looking for free hack tools, John The Ripper is a well-respected and much-loved password-cracking tool that can break a range of encryption technologies.

Our findings also show that you can use dictionary attacks or brute force when uncovering weak or forgotten passwords.

Pros:

• Completely open-source
• Password cracker can be modified based on user requirements
• Effective at detecting password hashes

Cons:

• It can be complicated for beginners with less technical knowledge

6. Hashcat

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Main Feature: Versatile password-cracking tool that utilizes the power of GPUs.

Free or Paid: Free under the MIT License

Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, Mac

Why we chose this hacking tool

Designed to crack password hashes, this tool supports most hashing algorithms and offers a range of attack modes. It also offers impressive speeds thanks to GPU acceleration, and our research found that it can quickly identify and mitigate password vulnerabilities. 

Pros:

• Impressive speeds thanks to Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) support
• Uses a wide array of hashing algorithms
• Simple setup

Cons:

• Issues with GPU drivers can affect performance

7. L0phtCrack

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Main feature: Password auditing to assess password strength and reveal vulnerabilities.

Free or Paid: Free

Supported Platforms: Windows

Why we chose this hacking tool

Initially created by the infamous hacking group, L0pht Heavy Industries (members of which were also part of the cDc), our findings show that this is one of the best hacking tools for Windows when you need to conduct password auditing, recovery, or assessments of password strength.

You can also conduct password-cracking operations via dictionary attacks, brute-force, hybrid attacks, and rainbow tables to test the strength of and recover Windows passwords.

Pros:

• Designed for regular password auditing
• Mitigates password issues
• Provides detailed reports

Cons:

• No longer sold commercially, so there may be a lack of support
• Only supports Windows

8. Rainbow Crack

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Main Feature: Uses precomputed rainbow tables to quickly reverse password hash values.

Free or Paid: Free

Supported Platforms: Windows and Linux

Why we chose this hacking tool

Based on our tests, this hacking tool is great for recovering plaintext passwords by reversing hash values stored in databases or password-protected files.

This is all down to the magic of Rainbow tables, which contain precomputed hash chains, significantly accelerating the password-cracking process.

Pros:

• Cracks passwords in a relatively short space of time
• Tables are precomputed to simplify the process
• Can effectively avoid authentication obstacles

Cons:

• Rainbow tables require a significant amount of storage space (sometimes terabytes)
• The hash must be in the rainbow table for the tool to be of use

The Best Vulnerability Assessment Tools

These hacking tools test systems for vulnerabilities, whether to hack a web server, deface a website or crack passwords. These can also be some of the best open-source testing tools for web applications.

9. Metasploit Framework

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Main Feature: Penetration testing and exploit development tool

Free or Paid: Free

Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, Mac

Why we chose this hacking tool

Metasploit framework is one of the most popular hacking tools due to its comprehensive feature set for penetration testing.

Based on our observations, this hacking tool is ideal for developing and testing exploits, vulnerability assessment, post-exploitation via privilege escalation and data exfiltration, payloads and shellcode, and more.

Pros:

• Comprehensive platform for developing, testing, and executing exploits
• Built-in exploit database with a vast collection of pre-built exploits, payloads, and shellcodes
• Highly flexible and customizable
• Active community of users, developers, and contributors for resources and support

Cons:

• Primarily relies on the command-line interface (CLI), meaning it’s less beginner friendly
• Lack of real-time exploit updates
• Lack of advanced reporting

10. OpenVAS

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Main Feature: Vulnerability scanner to perform comprehensive security assessments

Free or Paid: Free

Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, Mac

Why we chose this hacking tool

Our findings show that OpenVAS provides a huge range of vulnerability checks and scanning capabilities, allowing you to easily assess system and network security or to identify vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and weaknesses.

You also benefit from automation, regular updates, customizable Scans, and guidance for reporting and remediation. Not to mention the ability to integrate OpenVAS with other tools.

Pros:

• Comprehensive vulnerability scanning features
• Open-source and free
• Regularly updated security feeds
• Customizable scans, including scan depth and scan parameters
• Supports integration with other security tools and can be automated

Cons:

• It can be complex to set up and configure for beginners without technical knowledge
• Works best with Linux systems despite support for Windows and macOS
• Lack of advanced reporting

11. Fortify WebInspect

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Main Feature: Scans and assesses web applications for vulnerabilities that need remediation

Free or Paid: Paid

Supported Platforms:  Windows

Why we chose this hacking tool

Fortify WebInspect is a versatile web application security testing tool that you can use to scan and assess web applications for vulnerabilities. Based on our observation, this is ideal for identifying potential security risks and weaknesses that can be exploited, granting access to sensitive data.

Pros:

• Stable and well-supported tool
• Can be integrated with CI/CD pipelines
• Customizable for various data privacy standards

Cons:

• No static application security testing (SAST) functions to enable white-box testing

12. Invicti WebScan

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Main Feature: Web vulnerability scanner and automated security assessments of web apps

Free or Paid: Paid

Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, Mac

Why we chose this hacking tool

Developed by what was formerly known as Acunetix, Invicti WebScan is a web vulnerability scanner perfect for automated security assessments of web applications.

From our tests, we found this tool is ideal for identifying and helping to remediate potential vulnerabilities and to enhance overall web application security.

Pros:

• In-depth, visual dashboard
• Can scan all types of applications and services across a range of platforms
• Good customer support

Cons:

• Expensive
• You cannot scan multiple URLs on the same license

13. Nikto

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Main Feature:  Web server vulnerability scanner to identify security issues and misconfigurations

Free or Paid: Free

Supported Platforms:  Windows, Linux, Mac

Why we chose this hacking tool

This open-source tool is great for performing comprehensive scans and assessing web server vulnerabilities, including potential security issues and misconfigured web servers.

Based on our findings, ethical hackers can use this tool to scan servers for dangerous files and hacking programs, as well as check for outdated versions of web server software.

Pros:

• Open-source and free
• Comprehensive scanning options
• Extensive database of known vulnerabilities
• Customizable scanning option
• Reporting capabilities

Cons:

• Not suitable for scanning large enterprises
• Uses a command-line interface, making it less beginner-friendly for some

14. Acunetix

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Main Feature: Identifies web app vulnerabilities like SQL injection, XSS, and server configs

Free or Paid: Paid

Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, Mac

Why we chose this hacking tool

Developed by Invicti Security, this hacking tool can scan and identify web app vulnerabilities, including issues like SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and insecure server configurations.

As a black-box penetration testing tool, our findings revealed that this tool is useful for dynamic application security testing (DAST) when there is no user access or source code. 

Pros:

• Returns very few false positives
• Provides a high level of automation and accuracy
• Creates compliance reports
• User-friendly interface and intuitive workflow

Cons:

• Configuring the tool can be tricky for DevSecOps
• User management is not straightforward

The Best Wireless Hacking Tools

These ethical hacking tools are used to hack into a wireless network (WLAN), allowing penetration testers to perform the same activities when hacking into a standard network or web application.

15. Kismet

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Main Feature: Wireless network detector, sniffer, and intrusion detection system (IDS)

Free or Paid: Free

Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, and Mac

Why we chose this hacking tool

Kismet is a powerful open-source wireless network detector, which is awesome for packet sniffing and use as a wireless intrusion detection system (WIDS).

Based on our tests, this tool is excellent for identifying and analyzing wireless network traffic and finding potential security threats.

Pros:

• Channel hopping finds as many networks as possible
• Logs geographical coordinates
• Option to use as a wireless intrusion detection (WIDS)
• Command-line and graphical interface options

Cons:

• It can take a long time to search for networks
• Can only identify networks within a small physical area

16.Aircrack-ng

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Main Feature:  WLAN detector, packet sniffer, WEP and WPA/WPA2-PSK cracker

Free or Paid: Free

Supported Platforms:  Windows (limited), Linux (ideal), Mac.

Why we chose this hacking tool

Based on our observations, this is one of the tools of choice for professional penetration testers that need a fully-featured tool to hack WEP and WPA-based WLANs.

With this tool, you can perform packet capture, brute-forcing, dictionary attacks, and even offline cracking, not to mention the fact that it’s an open-source tool with strong community support. We should mention that it’s best suited to Linux-based systems, but it is possible to use with Windows.

Pros:

• The full suite consists of more than 20 utilities & versatile attack methods
• Popular among professionals, also open-source and community-driven
• Active community support via documentation and forums
• Pioneering tool for Wireless Encryption Key (WEP) cracking

Cons:

• Mostly suited to ethical hackers with strong technical experience
• Command-line based, so lack of GUI may deter some

17. Wifite

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Main Feature: Automates Wi-Fi password auditing and cracking with various attack methods

Free or Paid: Free

Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, Mac

Why we chose this hacking tool

With this hacking tool, you can audit and crack Wi-Fi networks via multiple attack techniques, whether capturing handshakes, brute-force, and dictionary attacks or even utilizing tools like Aircrack-ng.

Our research also showed that this offers convenience for beginners and experienced professionals, not to mention the automation bonus.

Pros:

• A customizable and user-friendly interface includes numerous target filters
• Provides detailed logs and reports and can be fully automated
• Multiple attack techniques, plus cross-tool and cross-platform compatibility 
• Intelligent target selection for networks based on signal strength

Cons:

• Some may find the interface to be dated
• More of a pro-tool, meaning it’s less beginner-friendly

18. Wifiphisher

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Main Feature:  Access framework for Wi-Fi networks & used for red team penetration testing

Free or Paid: Free

Supported Platforms: Linux (primarily Kali)

Why we chose this hacking tool

This tool is ideal for assessing the vulnerability of wireless networks via red-team hacking while highlighting the risks of phishing attacks via rogue access points.

Our findings show that with Wifiphisher, you can create rogue access points, perform phishing attacks, and capture credentials from unsuspecting users.

Pros:

• Great for red-team hacking scenarios to provide realistic security evaluations
• Perfect for man-in-the-middle attacks
• Ideal for risk reduction by uncovering weaknesses and vulnerabilities
• Helpful for validating investments into cyber security defenses

Cons:

• Limited platform support as only supported with Linux
• Limited scope as red-team hacking exercises typically focus on specific systems

19. Wireshark

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Main Feature: Powerful network protocol analyzer that captures and analyzes network traffic

Free or Paid: Free

Supported Platforms:  Windows, Linux, MacOS

Why we chose this hacking tool

As one of the OG tools for ethical hacking (remember when it was called Ethereal? No, just me?) Wireshark offers several features that make it ideal for network analysis and hacking.

Based on our tests, you can use this hacking tool for packet capture, protocol analysis, packet filtering and search, and statistical analysis. You also get some useful visualization features, and you can even use it for analyzing LANS via packet copying to ensure you’re discrete.

Pros:

• Comprehensive network protocol support and cross-platform
• Real-time packet capture and powerful filtering capabilities
• Advanced analysis via statistics, flow graphs, color-coded packet display, and more
• Extensive community support owing to its long history

Cons:

• Steep learning curve for beginners
• Lack of real-time analysis
• Lack of traffic generation

How to Choose the Best Hacking Tools in 2023

Choosing the best hacking tool ultimately depends on the organization's needs or the activities that must be carried out.

That said, we considered the following criteria when trying to find the best hacking tools in 2023:

• Price and setup costs
• Ease of use
• Interface type
• Platform compatibility
• Quality of documentation

What Are the Different Types of Hacking?

In this article, we’ve focused on categories of hacking tools, namely network hacking, password cracking, web hacking, and wireless cracking. That said, let’s take a quick detour to examine the most common types of hacking.

• Ethical Hacking: Known as penetration testing or white-hat hacking, this is conducted with the target organization’s permission to identify and fix vulnerabilities.
• Black Hat Hacking: This is what most people think of when hearing the term hacking, as it’s often carried out with malicious intent and via illegal activities.
• Gray Hat Hacking: Gray hat hackers identify vulnerabilities without permission, but they aim to alert the organization rather than cause harm.
• Hacktivism: This is hacking with a political or social agenda, and Hacktivists tend to target organizations or systems to raise awareness or make political statements.
• Script Kiddie: Script kiddies have limited hacking skills, and they use existing tools or scripts without deep technical knowledge.
• Advanced Persistent Threat (APT): These are targeted and prolonged hacking campaigns conducted by skilled individuals for data theft, espionage, or sabotage.
• Insider Threat: This involves exploiting internal access privileges for unauthorized activities, such as data theft, sabotage, or espionage.
• Social Engineering: This involves manipulating individuals to divulge sensitive information or perform actions that may compromise security.

Is Using Hacking Tools Legal?

Hacker tools are not illegal, but using them to conduct hacking activities without explicit consent is illegal. Let’s take a look at some illegal and legal hacking activities.

Legal Hacking Examples:

• Ethical Hacking/Penetration Testing: Hacking is conducted with proper authorization and consent from the target organization.
• Security Research: Hacking is performed by security researchers within legal boundaries to discover vulnerabilities and disclose them to the affected organization.
• Bug Bounty Programs: Organizations reward individuals who identify and responsibly disclose system security vulnerabilities.

Illegal Hacking Examples:

• Unauthorized Access: Gaining access to computer systems, networks, or accounts without authorization or consent, such as password cracking.
• Data Theft: Illegally accessing, exfiltrating, or stealing sensitive information from computer systems, networks, or databases without permission.
• Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks: Overwhelming or disrupting computer systems, networks, or websites by flooding them with excessive traffic or exploiting vulnerabilities.
• Malware and Ransomware: Creating, distributing, or deploying malicious software, viruses, worms, or ransomware to compromise systems, steal data, or extort money.
• Phishing and Social Engineering: Deceptive techniques trick individuals into revealing sensitive information or performing actions that compromise security.

The Importance of Hacking Tools for Security

Hacking tools play a significant role in security for several reasons:

• Vulnerability Identification: Hacking tools identify vulnerabilities in systems, networks, and applications by simulating real-world attacks
• Penetration Testing: Hacking tools assess the security of an organization's infrastructure, enabling security teams to identify potential entry points and weaknesses.
• Security Validation: Hacking tools can validate the effectiveness of security controls and measures implemented by an organization.
• Security Awareness and Education: Hacking tools can raise security awareness and educate individuals and organizations about potential threats and vulnerabilities.
• Incident Response Preparation: Hacking tools assist in incident response planning and preparation.
• Continuous Monitoring and Detection: Hacking tools help with the continuous monitoring and detection of potential security breaches.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re a seasoned cybersecurity professional or a beginner who wants to learn ethical hacking, using the best hacking tools is an essential part of gaining authorized access to an organization’s computer system, application, or data.

To help you choose the right tools to get the job done, we’ve explored 19 of the best options, including tools for network hacking, password cracking, vulnerability assessment, and wireless hacking.

We also took the time to find various free and paid hacking tools on multiple platforms, so whatever you’re trying to achieve in ethical hacking, we’ve got you covered!

Looking for ways to learn ethical hacking in 2023? Check out:

The Best Ethical Hacking Courses

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are Hacking Tools?

Hacking tools are software apps designed to identify vulnerabilities, test security measures, and assess the overall security of computer systems and networks. These tools are used by security professionals, penetration testers, and ethical hackers to simulate potential attacks and identify weaknesses before malicious actors can exploit them.

2. Are Hacking Tools Legal?

The legality of hacking tools depends on their intended use and the jurisdiction in which they are used. In general, hacking tools can be classified as ethical or malicious. In general, it's important to understand and comply with the laws and regulations related to cybersecurity, hacking, and unauthorized access in your specific jurisdiction.

3. Are There Any Open-Source Hacking Tools?

Yes, there are several open-source hacking tools, including Metasploit, OpenVAS, Wireshark, Nmap, Aircrack-ng, and John The Ripper, to name a few. Check out the rest of the tools in our list if you’re interested in open-source tools. 

4. How Can I Learn How To Use Hacking Tools?

If you want to learn to use hacking tools, it’s often best approach to install the tool on your system and then look for the best ethical hacking tutorials that use that hacking tool. We’d also recommend reading documentation and joining any communities that use the tools, as these can be a vast resource of helpful information from fellow users.

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