Vulnerability

11 Best Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) Tools in 2024

VAPT tools play the most important part in penetration testing and vital to the cybersecurity toolset as they identify and fix security vulnerabilities in computer systems, networks, applications, and infrastructure.

These technologies help organizations examine and enhance their security posture by discovering vulnerabilities and attack routes before bad actors do.Here we have listed to top 11 most used VAPT tools for both free and commercial purposes.

At first, if you hear vulnerability assessment and penetration testing (VAPT), then it may sound like a new word to you. But the fact is that it’s just a mixture of two common and important application security activities. Thus, VAPT combines vulnerability evaluation testing with penetration testing.

Table of Contents

What Is VAPT (Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing)?
Why Do We Need VAPT Tools?
Best VAPT Tools Features
Best VAPT Tools
1. Hexway
2. Metasploit
3. Wireshark
4. NMAP
5. Burp Suite
6. Nessus
7. Indusface
8. Acunetix
9. Canvas
10. Social-Engineer Toolkit
11. SQLMap
Conclusion
Also Read

What Is VAPT (Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing)?

A vulnerability assessment is the analysis of your application utilizing various types of tools and methods to reveal potential vulnerabilities; if you want, this could be achieved through application security testing tools. Well, in this, the threats are identified, analyzed, and prioritized as part of the method. 

As we can say various tools are better at identifying various types of vulnerabilities, so it is crucial not to depend solely on one tool for vulnerability assessment. In the real world, can an attacker gain entry to your application via these vulnerabilities? This is where penetration testing becomes vital.

Therefore, vulnerability assessment tools are excellent at pointing out threats that may cause your application to strike, and not only that they also identify technical vulnerabilities.But here the question arises: how can you identify that these threats are exploitable?

Well, Penetration testing is the standard method of actively attacking your application to determine if potential vulnerabilities can be exploited. Therefore, we have shortlisted the top 11 VAPT tools. So, it will be helpful for every user to decide which one to choose among all.

Why Do We Need VAPT Tools?

As we said earlier VAPT is a  process of defending computer systems from attackers by imposing them to find holes and security vulnerabilities. There are some VAPT tools to evaluate a whole IT system or network, while some bring out an assessment for a particular recess.

Not only this but there are also VAPT tools for Wi-Fi network testing as well as web application testing. Tools that administer this method are termed VAPT tools. But now the question arises why do we need the VAPT tool?

Well, as we said earlier, it is used to determine the loopholes of a website, or in simple language, we can say that it is used for defending your website from various attackers.

There is another reason to use VAPT tools: As we grow more reliant on IT systems, the safety hazards are also increasing both in terms of size and range. Hence, it has become necessary to proactively defend critical IT systems so that there are no security loopholes.

As a result, penetration testing is the most effective method that different businesses have approved for protecting their IT foundations.So now without wasting much time let’s get started and discuss all top 11 VAPT tools one by one with a proper description along with their features.

11 Best VAPT Tools Features

Best VAPT Tools Features
1. Hexway1. Threat Intelligence
2. Cybersecurity Analytics
3. Network Traffic Analysis
4. User Behavior Analytics
5. Threat Hunting
2. Metasploit 1. Meterpreter Shell
2. Web Application Testing
3. Password Cracking
4. Exploit Database
5. Exploit Payloads
3. Wireshark 1. Protocol Dissection
2. Protocol Parsing
3. Flow Analysis
4. Packet Filtering
5. Network Performance Monitoring
4. NMAP 1. IP Fragmentation
2. Scripting Engine
3. Stealth Scanning
4. MAC Address Spoofing
5. Scripting Customization
5. Social-Engineer Toolkit 1. Infectious PDFs
2. Website Credential Capture
3. Tabnabbing Attacks
4. Customizable Attack Vectors
5. Reporting and Analytics
6. Nessus 1. Asset Inventory
2. Credential Auditing
3. Reporting and Analytics
4. Remote Scanning
5. Plugin Customization
7. Indusface 1. Incident Response
2. Security Analytics
3. Web Application Hardening
4. API Security
5. SSL Certificate Management
8. Acunetix1. XML External Entity (XXE) Detection
2. Directory Traversal Detection
3. File Inclusion Detection
4. Vulnerability Exploitation Verification
5. Comprehensive Reporting
9. Canvas 1. Metasploit Integration
2. Multi-platform Support
3. Comprehensive Exploit Database
4. Reverse Engineering Tools
5. Exploit Packaging and Delivery
10. Burp Suite 1. Spidering
2. Scanner
3. Sequencer
4. Decoder
5. Extensibility through APIs
11. SQLMap 1. Multi-threaded Data Retrieval
2. Time-Based Blind SQL Injection
3. Error-Based SQL Injection
4. Union-Based SQL Injection
5. Database Management System Support (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, etc.)

11 Best VAPT Tools in 2024

  • Hexway
  • Metasploit
  • Wireshark
  • NMAP
  • Social-Engineer Toolkit
  • Nessus
  • Indusface
  • Acunetix
  • Canvas
  • Burp Suite
  • SQLMap

1. Hexway

Hexway

Hexway gives its customers two separate, self-hosted workspaces designed for vulnerability and penetration testing as a service (PTaaS).To make working with data from pentest tools (such as Nmap, Nessus, Burp, and Metasploit) more efficient, it normalizes and aggregates that data.

As a result, Hexway Hive & Apiary provides a comprehensive set of tools for dealing with security data and presenting work results in real-time, catering to the needs of busy cybersecurity professionals.

Additionally, Hexway is about more than just pentest results or data aggregation; it’s also about improved workflow and helpful approaches that can quicken testing and improve the security of your goods.

Features 

  • Hexway might possess state-of-the-art threat intelligence skills, such as the ability to monitor and analyze the global threat landscape.
  • As an example of what Hexway might do, UEBA tracks and analyzes how users and entities interact with a network.
  • Services such as monitoring network user and entity behavior may be offered by Hexway.
  • When it comes to evaluating security data from all over the place, Hexway might have a solution for you.
What is Good ?What Could Be Better ?
Comprehensive Threat IntelligenceComplexity and Learning Curve
Powerful Cybersecurity AnalyticsIntegration Challenges
Network Traffic Analysis
User Behavior Analytics

HexwayTrial / Demo

2. Metasploit

Metasploit

This is a widely recognized set of diverse VAPT tools, and it is one of the most widely used tools available.Because of its uniqueness and credibility, it has been placed at the top of our list.

As a result, IT experts and those who specialize in digital security have long used it to accomplish a variety of goals, including finding vulnerabilities, carrying out security assessments, and identifying preventative measures.

Furthermore, you can use the Metasploit tool in a wide variety of fields, including servers, web-based applications, and computer systems.Well, this service keeps track of security breaches and takes action in response.

Metasploit is the finest tool to use when evaluating the security of your framework in light of newly discovered vulnerabilities.From our experience, we can confidently state that this is the most trustworthy penetration testing tool for massive assaults.

Metasploit excels at finding long-forgotten vulnerabilities that would be impossible to pinpoint manually.Since Metasploit has both free and paid versions, you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

Further, we may claim that It is an open-source program based on the principle of ‘exploit,’ which implies you pass a code that violates the security requirements and enters a trustworthy system.

After logging in, it executes a ‘payload,’ or code that performs actions on the target machine, creating an environment ideal for penetration testing.This makes it a fantastic tool for gauging how well the IDS is protecting against the types of assaults we tend to overlook.

Furthermore, Metaspoilt can be used on servers, applications, networks, and more.It runs on Apple Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows, and features both a command line and a graphical user interface (GUI).

Features

  • Metasploit is a collection of tools, exploits, and payloads.
  • This has the potential to scan the targeted systems for vulnerabilities.
  • Individuals can program their own payloads to carry out certain actions after they have been exploited.
  • Security testers can access compromised systems and gather data using Metasploit’s post-exploitation capabilities.
What is Good ?What Could Be Better ?
Exploit DevelopmentEthical Concerns
Penetration TestingLegal Implications
Comprehensive Framework
Active Community

Demo video

Price

you can get a free demo and a personalized demo from here..

Metasploit Trial / Demo

3. Wireshark

Wireshark

An updated feature in the open-source system analyzer and moderator Wireshark lets you keep tabs on network activity.This concept is also suitable for corporate management and smaller businesses.

In addition to these applications, government and academic institutions are also using Wireshark.As a result, you may find it on Wireshark and join the community that Gerald Combs started in 1998.

At its core, it is a network packet analyzer that displays real-time information about your network’s protocols, encryption, packet knowledge, and so on.We’ve already established that it’s open source and compatible with a wide range of operating systems.

It’s significant that the TShark Utility enables viewing of the data recovered by this program in either graphical user interface (GUI) or text-based terminal (TTY) mode.

If you’re new to Wireshark, the best place to get started learning is the industry-leading e-learning platform Ethical Hackers Academy, where you may take a comprehensive Advanced level Wireshark Network Analysis course.

Features of Wireshark:

  • Extensive VoIP study
  • Streaming video and analysis to follow
  • The gzip compression makes the captured files straightforward to extract.
  • Using the coloring concept, you may swiftly access the parcel list.
What is Good ?What Could Be Better ?
Network Protocol AnalysisComplexity for Beginners
Packet CaptureOverwhelming Amount of Data
Live Packet Monitoring
Extensive Protocol Support

Demo video

Price

you can get a free demo and a personalized demo from here..

Wireshark Trial / Demo

4. NMAP

NMAP

Abbreviation for “Network Mapper,” NMAP is an open-source and free program that checks your computer networks for security flaws.So, NMAP is useful for mastering a variety of duties, such as maintaining compliant host or administrator uptime and creating mapping of network attack surfaces.

The NMAP is compatible with all the major operating systems and may be used to test a wide range of network sizes.All major platforms, including Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X, work well with NMAP without any compatibility issues.

With this tool, you may examine the hosts available on a remote network, the framework version in use, and the configuration of any firewalls or other security measures in place.

Features of NMAP:-

  • Nmap can scan multiple IP addresses to find all the hosts on a network.
  • Nmap is able to scan host networks by using ranges of IP addresses.
  • Nmap can find services listening on an open port by examining the answers.
  • Finding out what operating system is installed on a distant machine is no problem for Nmap.
What is Good ?What Could Be Better ?
Port ScanningIntrusive Scanning Techniques
Host DiscoveryLegal and Ethical Considerations
OS Detection
Service Version Detection

Demo video

Price

you can get a free demo and a personalized demo from here..

NMAP Trial / Demo

5. Social-Engineer Toolkit

Social-Engineer Toolkit

One of the most popular VAPT Tools for social engineering attacks is the Social-Engineer Toolkit (SET), which was developed with a focus on launching radical attacks against the human element.

David Kennedy (ReL1K) essentially authored the SET, and with a lot of community input, it contains a consolidation of techniques not seen in any other exploitation toolkit.

When conducting a penetration test, the toolkit’s integrated attacks are tailored to be specific and coordinated assaults against a single user or organization.Blackhat, DerbyCon, Defcon, and ShmooCon are just few of the prominent events where it has been displayed.

Thus, it has become the emblem for social-engineering penetration tests and is actively promoted among the security community, with over two million downloads.

As we mentioned before, it has been downloaded over 2 million times and is designed to use advanced technology attacks in a social-engineering setting.According to TrustedSec, social engineering is both one of the most pervasive and complex types of cyberattacks to defend against.

As a result, the toolkit has been featured in several books, including the best-selling book in the category of protection books for an entire year.

Features

  • Vectors of Spear Phishing Attacks
  • Vectors of Attack on Websites
  • Develop a Payload and a Viewer
  • Exploitation Method for Wireless Access Points
  • Pathways for PowerShell Attacks
What is Good ?What Could Be Better ?
Simulates Real-World Social Engineering AttacksPossibility of hurting individuals or groups
Customizable and FlexiblePotential for Misuse
Educational and Training Tool
Open-Source and Community-Driven

Demo video

Price

you can get a free demo and personalized demo from here..

Social-Engineer toolkitTrial / Demo

6. Nessus

Nessus

After that, there’s Nessus, which is also a paid vulnerability-finding tool.It’s easy to implement, and anyone can benefit from it.

As a result, you can use it to conduct a thorough assessment of your network’s security and obtain a comprehensive report on all its flaws. Misconfigurations, commonly used passwords, and uncovered ports are just some of the prominent vulnerabilities that this tool exposes.

In addition, approximately 27,000 businesses all over the world are already employing it.Consequently, it has three variations; the first is free but limited in scope, covering just elementary school evaluations.

Therefore, if you can afford it, we advise upgrading to the paid edition for maximum protection of your network or system against cybercrime.

Features of Nessus:-

  • Nessus scans computer systems and networks for security flaws.
  • A wide variety of security flaws and improper settings can be located using its many apps.
  • Systems can be tested for compliance with various security rules and standards using Nessus.
  • You can utilize this tool to locate and plot out all of the devices and assets on your network.
  • To better comprehend security issues and prioritize them, Nessus provides users with comprehensive reports.
What is Good ?What Could Be Better ?
Comprehensive Vulnerability ScanningNot much help for systems that aren’t Windows
Extensive Vulnerability CoverageCould cause noise in network traffic
Policy Compliance Checks
Configuration Auditing

Demo video

Price

you can get a free demo and a personalized demo from here..

NessusTrial / Demo

7. Indusface

Indusface

Manual and automated scanning for the OWASP Top 10 and SANS Top 25 vulnerabilities are also possible using Indusface.This means that the Indusface Web Application Firewall is the only fully managed web application firewall on the market today.

In addition to a scanner and WAF, Indusface’s Total Application Security includes even more protections.By utilizing the WAF and commands built by Indusface’s security professionals, a corporation may swiftly identify security flaws and implement fixes.

Features of Indusface:-

  • The option to stop and start again.
  • Reports from both manual and automatic PT scanners are displayed on the dashboard.
  • Constantly seek out peril.
  • The crawler scans a program that is just one page long.
What is Good ?What Could Be Better ?
Web Application SecurityNot enough information available
Vulnerability AssessmentFew reviews and comments from users
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
Malware Detection

Demo video

Price

you can get a free demo and personalized demo from here..

IndusfaceTrial / Demo

8. Acunetix

Acunetix

Acunetix incorporates its vulnerability scanner into its penetration testing procedures, resulting in continuous automated threat exposure for websites.Therefore, the Acunetix system can be deployed either locally or in the cloud.

As a result, this system examines webpages developed with HTML5, JavaScript, and RESTful APIs for flaws.The service also analyzes third-party code, such as that used in the WordPress content management and distribution system.

As a result, the software employs SQL injection and cross-site scripting techniques for penetration testing.As a result, the tool’s output conforms to regulations including HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and ISO/IEC 27001.

Therefore, if you do employ a web development team and your website features extensive bespoke code, read on.Acunetix can be incorporated into your existing system of development administration assistance.

Thus, the detection system is integrated into new-code testing software and, as a result of its testing procedures, provides a list of flaws, ineptitude, and vulnerabilities and feeds back suggestions for improvements to the project management system.

Features of Acunetix:-

  • Built to work with WAFs and compatible with SDLC integration.
  • Continuously scan 100 pages.
  • Has the capability to access over 4,500 risk types.
  • Thoroughly testing web apps for vulnerabilities using state-of-the-art scanning techniques.
  • We’re going to be looking at the top ten security weaknesses as compiled by OWASP’s Top Ten Project.
What is Good ?What Could Be Better ?
Comprehensive Web Application Security TestingNeeds Regular Updating
Wide Coverage of VulnerabilitiesNot enough help for some web technologies
Deep Scanning Capabilities
Accurate Vulnerability Detection

Demo video

Price

you can get a free demo and personalized demo from here..

Acunetix Trial / Demo

9. Canvas

Canvas

When working with security professionals, Canvas is one of the most reliable virtual application penetration testing (VAPT) tools available.Therefore, users can target large regions and move covertly between target systems.

As a result, many existing CANVAS users take advantage of the platform’s built-in technologies to effectively comprehend exposure and control danger.CANVAS is the gold standard attack platform for exploiting networks and dispersed computers.

Users are then able to take screenshots, download password credentials, manipulate the target file system, and gain access to higher privileges after employing CANVAS for robust system negotiation.It’s released in its entirety with source code and barely touches on zero-day vulnerabilities.

A popular vulnerability exploitation tool is Canvas, which Dave Aitel’s ImmunitySec created.While more comprehensive than Core Impact or non-commercial versions of Metasploit, its coverage of over 370 businesses is limited.

Features of Canvas:-

  • Teachers can easily set up and run online classes with material that can be changed to fit their needs.
  • You can easily talk to each other on Canvas through chat rooms, messages, and alerts.
  • You can add tests, videos, documents, and other course materials and rearrange them.
  • Checks, quizzes, and tests can be made with a marking system and feedback options.
  • Built-in tools like Google Docs let people work on projects and group projects together.
What is Good ?What Could Be Better ?
Comprehensive Penetration TestingConcerns about accessibility
Exploit DevelopmentDependence on an internet connection
Real-World Exploits
Customization

Demo video

Price

you can get a free demo and a personalized demo from here..

CanvasTrial / Demo

10. Burp Suite

Burp Suite

Burp Suite is a graphical application used to probe the safety of websites.PortSwigger Web Security has purchased this Java-based product.Community edition strives to deliver a comprehensive solution for web application security testing despite severely reduced capability.

The tool comes in three distinct editions, the free Community Edition, the paid Professional Edition, and the expensive Enterprise Edition, all of which are available after a trial period.

A proxy server, scanner, and intruder are the tool’s main features. It also has a spider, repeater, decoder, comparer, extender, and sequencer, among other features.Because of this, the Burp Suite is an effective tool for checking the safety of web-based programs.

Because it has a number of tools that may be used to perform a wide range of security tests, such as tracing potential entry points, analyzing requests and responses between the app and its target servers, and identifying vulnerabilities.

In addition, you can choose between a free and a paid version of the Burp Suite.The no-cost option primarily relies on manual equipment to carry out monitoring tasks.Therefore, you might choose the premium, web-testing-capable option.

Features of Burp Suite:

  • As a proxy, Burp Suite changes the requests and replies that go back and forth between the user’s browser and the target web service.
  • Burp Suite has an automatic vulnerability checker that can crawl a web app and find SQL injection, XSS, and other security holes.
  • Spider is a tool in Burp Suite that crawls a web app to find its content and features and make a picture of them.
  • By sending prepared queries, it lets users do both automatic and human penetration testing on a target.
What is Good ?What Could Be Better ?
Web Application ScanningThere are some situations that require manual setup.
Proxy ServerNot having an official Android app
Vulnerability Testing
Session Analysis

Price

you can get a free demo and a personalized demo from here..

Burp SuiteTrial / Demo

11. SQLMap

SQLMap

The Social-Engineer Toolkit (SET) is one of the most widely used VAPT Tools for social engineering attacks since it was created with a focus on launching radical attacks against the human factor.

Due to significant community contributions, David Kennedy (ReL1K) wrote the majority of the SET, which includes a combination of techniques not found in any other exploitation toolkit.Several publications have been written about the toolkit as a result, including the #1 selling book on the subject of security for a full year.

The integrated attacks of the toolkit are designed to be targeted and coordinated assaults on a single individual or organization during a penetration test.It has been showcased at numerous notable events like Blackhat, DerbyCon, Defcon, and ShmooCon.

As a result, the security community has adopted it as a symbol for social engineering penetration tests and has helped spread the word, leading to more than two million downloads.

As we’ve already established, it’s been downloaded over 2 million times and is built for conducting sophisticated technological attacks via social engineering.TrustedSec claims that social engineering assaults are among the most common and difficult to prevent.

Features

  • Give users the option to bypass SQL injection and go straight to the database.
  • The SQL injection method is fully supported.
  • You can choose to dump certain fields or entire database tables.
  • Deduce the password on its own.
What is Good ?What could Be Better ?
Automated SQL Injection TestingPossible Damage to the Application
Comprehensive DetectionModern web apps don’t have much support.
Exploitation and Data Extraction
Customizable Testing Options

Demo video

Price

you can get a free demo and a personalized demo from here..

SQLMapTrial / Demo

Conclusion

Basically, nowadays, cyberattacks are increasing rapidly, therefore, it’s very important to choose the best VAPT tool for protecting your website. Well, that actually depends on your specific needs.

All the above-mentioned tools have their own intensities and advantage based on the types of users they are catering to. Thus, some are committed to a specific task, while others try to be more comprehensive in range.

As such, you should opt for a tool as per your specifications. If you want to assess your entire system, then Metasploit or Nmap would be among the best fits.While Acunetix is also a solid choice for browsing web applications.

Also Read:

Balaji N

BALAJI is an Ex-Security Researcher (Threat Research Labs) at Comodo Cybersecurity. Editor-in-Chief & Co-Founder - Cyber Security News & GBHackers On Security.

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