Automated penetration testing, known as vulnerability scanning, uses software to detect security flaws in networks, websites, applications, and cloud infrastructure.
The process of assessing security threats in a system using automated security tools is known as “automated penetration testing” (“vulnerability scanning”). Penetration testing detects security problems in your company’s web-facing assets, such as websites and subdomains.
A successful pentest identifies problems, establishes potential ways to exploit them, and predicts the repercussions on the application under test.
Automated penetration testing is less expensive than manual testing and can give results in seconds or minutes.
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Which Tool Is Used For Penetration Testing?
Businesses should focus more on information security. It must transcend the domain of strictly technological issues and permeate organizational culture.
Security weaknesses can be found throughout your digital platforms, making it unavoidable for you to be compromised. As a result, a pen testing tool is necessary.
Pentesters and ethical hackers utilize penetration testing technologies to imitate real-world attacks without taking risks, testing the computing infrastructures’ robustness. They are particularly effective at protecting a company from unidentified or “zero-day” threats.
Penetration testing tools include Netsparker, Wiresharker, Metasploit, Aircrack, Intruder, Etercap, Zed attack proxy, Scapy, Nessus, AppKnox, and BurpSuite.
10 Best Automated Penetration Testing Tools in 2024
- Wireshark – Network protocol analyzer for real-time network traffic capture and deep packet inspection.
- Autopsy and The Sleuth Kit – Digital forensics platform for analyzing hard drives and mobile devices.
- Metasploit – Comprehensive penetration testing framework for discovering, exploiting, and validating vulnerabilities.
- Ettercap – Network security tool for man-in-the-middle attacks and network protocol analysis.
- Zed Attack Proxy – Open-source web application security scanner for identifying vulnerabilities in web apps.
- Scapy – Packet manipulation tool for network discovery, packet crafting, and network protocol testing.
- Acunetix – Automated web vulnerability scanner for identifying and resolving security issues in web applications.
- AppKnox – Mobile application security testing tool for identifying and fixing vulnerabilities in mobile apps.
- BurpSuite – Integrated platform for performing security testing of web applications, including automated scans.
- Intruder – Cloud-based vulnerability scanner for automated security assessments and continuous monitoring.
10 Best Automated Penetration Testing Tools Features
| Best Automated Penetration Testing Tools | Features. | Stand-Alone Feature | Pricing | Free Trail / Demo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Wireshark | Network Protocol Analyzer Interactive Traffic Browsing Detailed Information on Network Traffic Troubleshooting and Network Analysis Supports Hundreds of Protocols Open Source | Continuous vulnerability scanning and automated security assessments. | Free | Yes |
| 2. Autopsy and The Sleuth Kit | Look at the metadata Hashing a file Detection of deleted files Carving out data Look at the registry Image editing on a disk | Digital forensics for detailed file system investigations. | Free | No |
| 3. Ettercap | MITM stands for “Man in the Middle” strikes. Getting network packets Analysis of protocols There are two kinds of network scanning: Spoofing the ARP Spoofing DNS | Comprehensive penetration testing framework for exploit development. | Fre | Yes |
| 4. Metasploit | Making and testing exploits Creating a payload Scan for weaknesses After-the-fact parts Control and management from a distance Attack database | Network security tool for man-in-the-middle attacks. | Free | No |
| 5. Zed Attack Proxy | Getting caught in a web Checking out web applications Active searching Support for authentication Managing a session | Web application security scanner for finding vulnerabilities. | Free | No |
| 6. Scapy | Tests of protocols Functions of Traceroute Making custom protocols Sending and getting packets Analysis of network traffic Support for IPv6 | Powerful packet manipulation and network traffic analysis tool. | Free | No |
| 7. Acunetix | Cross-site scripting (XSS) discovery Detection of SQL injection Detection of directory traversal Prioritization of vulnerability Reporting on compliance The API testing options | Security checks on mobile apps Automatically finding security holes Look at the code Help with manual testing Checks for compliance Security alerts in real-time | Starts at $4,500/year | Yes |
| 8. AppKnox | Security checks on mobile apps Automatically finding security holes Look at the code Help with manual testing Checks for compliance Security alerts in real time | Mobile application security testing with automated vulnerability detection. | Custom pricing available | Yes |
| 9. BurpSuite | Checking out web applications Getting on hands and knees Scan for weaknesses Break-in tool Repeater device tool sequencer | Integrated platform for web application security testing. | Starts at $399/year | Yes |
| 10. intruder | Intrusion Detection System Real-Time Monitoring Comprehensive Threat Data Security Incident Analysis Supports Multiple Security Protocols Open Source | Network protocol analyzer for in-depth traffic inspection. | Free | No |
1. Wireshark
Wireshark is a widely-used network protocol analyzer that captures and inspects data packets traveling through a network, providing deep visibility into network traffic and protocols.
It offers detailed insights into the data exchanged between devices, helping security professionals identify vulnerabilities, troubleshoot network issues, and analyze network performance.
With its extensive filtering and analysis capabilities, Wireshark is essential for both manual and automated penetration testing, aiding in detecting potential security threats and weaknesses.
Why Do We Recommend It?
- Wireshark can capture and analyze network events on many interfaces in real-time.
- Wireshark can analyze pcap and other popular packet capture files.
- Due to its broad protocol compatibility, Wireshark can decode and analyze many network protocols.
- Wireshark features powerful filtering and searching.
- Statistics can be used to analyze network traffic in Wireshark.
- Wireshark excels in VoIP traffic analysis.
- An expert system in Wireshark can identify and report network data anomalies.
| What is Good? | What Could Be Better? |
|---|---|
| 1. Network analysts can help find and fix delays. | 1. neither create nor modify packets. |
| 2. Export packets for other tools. | 2. Packets cannot be sent |
| 3. reveals the packet-creating protocol. | 3. Not allowed to change or manipulate any networked data or objects. |
| 4. permits packet filtering, grouping, and sorting. |
2. Autopsy And The Sleuth Kit
Autopsy and The Sleuth Kit provide a comprehensive suite for digital forensics and incident response, offering powerful tools for examining and recovering data from digital devices.
Autopsy serves as a graphical interface that simplifies the analysis process, making it accessible for both novice and experienced investigators to perform detailed forensic examinations.
The Sleuth Kit, a collection of command-line tools, supports the underlying data analysis with robust features for investigating file systems, recovering deleted files, and analyzing disk images.
Why Do We Recommend It?
- Investigators can duplicate storage media without damaging data with Autopsy and The Sleuth Kit’s forensic disk images.
- These apps test NTFS, FAT, Ext2/3/4, HFS+, etc.
- Autopsy and The Sleuth Kit search files, names, and unallocated keyword space.
- Using metadata, investigators can determine a file’s creation date, last change date, previous user, and write access.
- Autopsy and The Sleuth Kit restore missing or corrupted files from unallocated storage via file carving.
- The tools can diagnose numerous OS and app faults.
- Investigators can produce extensive reports using the Sleuth Kit and Autopsy.
- You may expand Autopsy and The Sleuth Kit with plugins and modules.
| What is Good? | What Could Be Better? |
|---|---|
| 1. Wizards guide you through the straightforward installation process. | 1. New data will prevent file recovery from the hard drive. |
| 2. In a single tree, all outcomes are located. | 2. As storage capacities increase, processing power for digital information is scarce. |
| 3. The app’s autopsy feature lets Users see films and photographs without an external viewer. | 3. sometimes identify a gadget but not its user. |
| 4. Sleuth kit examines disk images and raw |
3. Ettercap
Ettercap is an open-source network security tool designed for man-in-the-middle attacks, enabling attackers to intercept, modify, and log network traffic between clients and servers.
It supports a range of attack methods including ARP poisoning and DNS spoofing, making it useful for penetration testers to assess network vulnerabilities.
With its graphical and command-line interfaces, Ettercap provides comprehensive network sniffing and analysis capabilities, allowing for detailed examination of network traffic and security weaknesses.
Either an ethical hacker or penetration tester needs to have ettercap in their toolbox
Why Do We Recommend It?
- Packet capture and network sniffing with Ettercap reveal network protocols and sent data.
- Ettercap is notable for its man-in-the-middle attacks.
- Ettercap examines protocols thoroughly.
- Use Ettercap aggressively or passively.
- Ettercap supports ARP spoofing and poisoning.
- By accepting plug-ins, Ettercap can add new features and capabilities.
- It may collect or alter only particular network packets using filters.
- Ettercap’s remote control lets you run and monitor it from another computer.
| What is Good? | What Could Be Better? |
|---|---|
| 1. Ettercap has a nice UI and CLI. | 1. Software source compilation requires several dependencies and developer libraries. |
| 2. ethical hackers can efficiently perform a session hijacking attack. | 2. Both Windows 10 and the 64-bit architecture are incompatible with it. |
| 3. Adding plugins expands its features. | 3. Ettercap requires pre-installation on a target network computer.. |
| 4. Specific endpoint isolation methods are given. |
4. Metasploit
Metasploit is a widely-used open-source penetration testing framework designed to help security professionals find and exploit vulnerabilities in systems.
It provides a comprehensive suite of tools for developing and executing exploit code, including payloads, encoders, and auxiliary modules for various attack scenarios.
Metasploit supports automation and scripting, allowing for efficient and repeatable security assessments while integrating with other tools for enhanced testing and reporting capabilities.
Why Do We Recommend It?
- Metasploit’s extensive library of pre-built exploits and payloads may target and exploit computer vulnerabilities.
- Metasploit’s post-exploitation modules let you do more after exploiting a system.
- The Metasploit repository contains many remote and local vulnerabilities.
- After exploiting a system, Metasploit can deliver many payloads to the vulnerable PC.
- Metasploit’s Social Engineering Toolkit enables social engineering attacks.
- The automated exploitation modules in Metasploit ease vulnerability exploitation.
- Metasploit can record penetration testing thoroughly.
| What is Good? | What Could Be Better? |
|---|---|
| 1. Metasploit is free because it is open source. | 1. System crashes can happen from Metasploit misuse. |
| 2. Updates are made to the exploit database. | 2. option for managing payload. |
| 3. various projects have their workspace. | 3. Few GUI-based tools exist since the CLI is so popular. |
| 4. Automation of manual testing and exploits can complete processes that took days and hours. |
5. Zed Attack Proxy
Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) is an open-source security tool designed for finding vulnerabilities in web applications through automated and manual penetration testing.
It features a range of scanning capabilities, including passive and active scanning, to identify security issues such as cross-site scripting and SQL injection.
ZAP provides an intuitive interface and various add-ons to enhance its functionality, making it suitable for both novice and experienced security testers.
Why Do We Recommend It?
- ZAP is a proxy that intercepts and modifies web app-user conversations.
- It supports active and passive scanning.
- ZAP has a robust API for scripting and automation.
- ZAP delivers a detailed list of concerns for vulnerability management.
- It makes managing sessions and authentication for safe online application testing easy.
- ZAP generates detailed scan results and vulnerability reports.
- The strong OWASP community ensures ZAP updates and development.
| What is Good? | What Could Be Better? |
|---|---|
| 1. It supports Mac, Windows, and Linux in 29 languages. | 1. The software uses a resource-intensive forced browser. |
| 2. Installation choices include standalone apps and daemons. | 2. The lengthy, disorganized report has no output. |
| 3. Worked across all operating systems | 3. The backend system’s inability to properly authenticate users. |
| 4. Examine every page for vulnerabilities, then highlight the affected code. |
6. Scapy
Scapy is an open-source Python-based tool designed for network penetration testing and security analysis, enabling users to craft, manipulate, and send network packets.
It supports various network protocols, making it versatile for tasks such as scanning, probing, and vulnerability assessment, providing in-depth insights into network security.
Scapy’s interactive environment allows for customized script creation and rapid testing, making it a powerful tool for security professionals to automate and streamline penetration testing processes.
Why Do We Recommend It?
- Scapy generates and modifies network packets at a low level.
- Network scanning and discovery are feasible with Scapy.
- Scapy reads live and recorded packets.
- Decoding packets from several network protocols is built into Scapy.
- Scapy works with Wireshark.
- Python scriptability lets Scapy be utilized in automation workflows or larger Python scripts.
- Scapy can support new or modified protocols.
- A lively user and programmer community supports Scapy development and maintenance.
| What is Good? | What Could Be Better? |
|---|---|
| 1. Scapy runs on Linux, Windows, OS X, and most Unixes using libpcap. | 1. Unable to manage numerous packets at once |
| 2. Runs several unit tests with varied parameters between two limitations. | 2. limited support for some complex protocols |
| 3. Scapy, a Python packet manipulation tool, is flexible. | 3. Python is used to write Scapy, which has numerous abstraction layers but is not fast. |
| 4. Send, sniff, analyze, and forge network packets with Scapy. |
7. Acunetix
Acunetix is a leading automated penetration testing tool designed to identify and assess security vulnerabilities in web applications and websites.
It provides comprehensive scanning capabilities, including detection of SQL injection, XSS, and other common web-based vulnerabilities.
Acunetix features an intuitive interface and automated reporting, streamlining the process of vulnerability management and helping organizations enhance their overall security posture.
Why Do We Recommend It?
- Acunetix automatically scans online application code, server configurations, and other components for security issues.
- It uses DeepScan, a black-box-gray-box testing method.
- An Acunetix AcuSensor sensor must be installed on the web app server.
- Acunetix provides detailed reports on vulnerabilities, their severity, and how to remedy them.
- It integrates with Jira and Jenkins for easy bug reporting and collaboration.
- Acunetix checks web API safety.
- With Acunetix’s DevOps help, security testing is easy to integrate into software development.
- Acunetix’s ongoing scanning and monitoring protect online apps.
| What is Good? | What Could Be Better? |
|---|---|
| 1. Quickly relaunching scans on updated website areas. | 1. Supports importing state files from various well-known application testing tools. |
| 2. Most critical and well-publicized vulnerabilities are covered. | 2. Supporting multiple endpoints is not its strongest suit. |
| 3. Includes features beyond vulnerability scanning. | 3. In current workplace apps, multiple URLs cause authentication issues. |
| 4. Enables importing state files from popular application testing tools. |
8. AppKnox
AppKnox provides automated penetration testing tools that help identify and address security vulnerabilities in web and mobile applications, ensuring robust protection against potential threats.
The platform offers comprehensive assessments using real-world attack simulations to detect weaknesses and provide actionable insights for remediation.
With an easy-to-use interface and integration capabilities, AppKnox simplifies the security testing process, enabling continuous monitoring and improvement of application security.
Why Do We Recommend It?
- Appknox can discover mobile app binary security issues using static analysis.
- It simulates mobile app user behavior for dynamic analysis.
- Appknox evaluates API safety.
- It monitors mobile apps 24/7 to help organizations find security problems.
- Appknox can provide detailed reports on vulnerabilities, severity, and fixes.
- Appknox integrates with Jira and Slack to simplify collaboration and problem-solving.
- It analyzes mobile app reputations for vulnerabilities in third-party libraries, SDKs, and services.
| What is Good? | What Could Be Better? |
|---|---|
| 1. Allow multiple team members and app assignments. | 1. After the mobile app scans, report because only PDF downloads, not Excel. |
| 2. Appknox DAST and API can help developers meet deadlines. | 2. Test turnaround time can be decreased, especially for retests. |
| 3.Users can choose engagement tactics and deployment types to fit their security concerns. | 3. Users can choose engagement tactics and deployment types to fit their security concerns. |
| 4. A top security penetration testing team, industry-recognized test scenarios, and an accessible tool. |
9. BurpSuite
Burp Suite is a comprehensive suite of tools designed for web application security testing, offering features for scanning, crawling, and analyzing vulnerabilities in web applications.
It includes an integrated scanner that identifies common security issues and vulnerabilities, and provides detailed reports and recommendations for remediation.
The suite is widely used by security professionals for its extensive customization options, allowing users to tailor testing approaches to specific web application environments and security needs.
Why Do We Recommend It?
- Burp Suite’s powerful scanner can quickly discover SQL injection, XSS, CSRF, and other web application problems.
- It can intercept and alter client-server HTTP/HTTPS conversations as a proxy.
- Burp Suite’s web application crawler automatically maps website architecture.
- Burp Suite’s Intruder tool automates vulnerability testing by sending a target many well-prepared queries.
- Burp Suite’s Repeater lets users manually edit and resend queries.
- The Sequencer tool in Burp Suite assesses application data like session tokens for unpredictability.
- Burp Suite’s Decoder tool can decode, encrypt, and change many modern web application data types.
- Burp Suite users can customize and enhance its structure.
| What is Good? | What Could Be Better? |
|---|---|
| 1. checking for vulnerabilities in a request. | 1. More creative and representative software presentation is needed. |
| 2. Best and most basic data security pentesting tool. | 2. Plugin updates must be done manually without network access. |
| 3. Works well without a private internet network. | |
| 4. automated bulk scanning and simulations. |
10. Intruder
Intruder provides automated penetration testing to identify and address security vulnerabilities in your systems, ensuring proactive threat management and compliance with industry standards.
The tool continuously scans for weaknesses, including software flaws and configuration issues, delivering detailed reports and actionable insights to enhance overall security posture.
With an easy-to-use interface and customizable scanning options, Intruder simplifies the process of identifying security risks and helps prioritize remediation efforts efficiently.
Why Do We Recommend It?
- Intruder offers fast support for program use and technical concerns.
- Intruders constantly scan targets and reveal weaknesses instantly.
- Network, online applications, and cloud configuration scanning help intruders uncover security holes.
- Attackers check OS, network, web app, and database vulnerabilities.
- Intruders utilize innovative tactics to eliminate false positives, verifying security shortcomings.
- Use Intruder with your IDE, bug tracker, or collaboration service.
- Intruder reports describe vulnerabilities, severity, and fixes.
| What is Good? | What Could Be Better? |
|---|---|
| 1. Small-footprint internal hardware improves performance. | 1. Information in reports could be expanded. |
| 2. To protect you, it constantly checks the attack surface. | 2. cannot search a target’s file system for susceptible data. |
| 3. Identification of a new vulnerability | 3. The distribution of internal agents continues to be largely manual. |
| 4..An intruder searched server fleets for external vulnerabilities. |