The IT world is under constant threat from cybercrime, necessitating the adoption of various measures to combat it. Ethical hackers, also known as "white hackers," leverage a multitude of network security tools to evaluate networks and data systems, pinpointing any possible vulnerabilities that may be exploited by hackers.
What Is Kali Linux?
An open-source distribution that is designed for cybersecurity professionals, ethical hackers, and penetration testers, Kali Linux is based on Debian and offers over 600 tools for security auditing and penetration testing. Offensive Security is the active developer of Kali Linux, which is widely used by Infosec companies and ethical hackers.
Kali Linux was designed to be used by professionals, web admins, and anyone who knows how to run Kali Linux; it was not designed for general use.
Kali Linux has numerous security-hacker applications pre-installed for exploitation tools, forensic tools, hardware hacking, information gathering, password cracking, reverse engineering, wireless attacks, web applications, stress testing, sniffing and spoofing, vulnerability analysis, and many more. You can even install additional tools.
Top 5 Kali Linux Tools
1. Nmap
Nmap, an open-source network scanner, is extensively employed for network reconnaissance and scanning. Its main objective is to detect hosts, ports, and services, along with their versions, within a given network. By sending packets to the target host and analyzing the subsequent responses, Nmap effectively produces the desired results. Furthermore, it can also be utilized for host discovery, operating system detection, and scanning open ports. Unquestionably, Nmap holds a prominent position among the most popular reconnaissance tools.
To use nmap:
- Ping the host with ping command to get the IP address
- Open the terminal and enter the following command there:
- Replace the IP address with the IP address of the host you want to scan.
- It will display all the captured details of the host.
2. Burp Suite
Burp Suite is widely recognized as a leading software for web application security testing. Acting as a proxy, it facilitates the interception of all browser requests, enabling us to modify these requests according to our specific requirements. This feature proves invaluable when testing for vulnerabilities such as XSS, SQLi, or any other web-related vulnerability. Notably, Kali Linux includes the free version of Burp Suite, known as the community edition. However, for enhanced functionality, there is also a paid version called Burp Suite Professional, offering a plethora of additional features compared to its community counterpart.
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
Wireshark, a network security tool, is employed for the analysis and manipulation of data transmitted across a network. Its primary function involves scrutinizing the packets that traverse the network, which contain crucial details such as the source and destination IP addresses, the utilized protocol, the data payload, and various headers. Notably, these packets are typically saved with a ".pcap" extension, which can be conveniently accessed and interpreted using the Wireshark application. Read this to 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 wireshark.
- Now it can be seen that it display the list of packets along with the headers of these packets.
4. metasploit Framework
Metasploit, developed by Rapid7 technologies, is an open-source tool widely recognized as one of the leading penetration testing frameworks globally. With its extensive range of exploits, it enables users to exploit vulnerabilities within networks and operating systems. Although primarily designed for local network usage, Metasploit can also be employed for remote hosts via "port forwarding". While Metasploit is primarily command-line interface (CLI) based, it offers a graphical user interface (GUI) package called "armitage" for enhanced convenience and usability.
To use metasploit:
- Metasploit comes pre-installed with Kali Linux
- Just enter “msfconsole” in the terminal
5. aircrack-ng
Aircrack stands out as a versatile tool that combines the functionalities of a packet sniffer, WEP and WPA/WPA2 cracker, analysis tool, and hash capturing tool. Its primary purpose revolves around wifi hacking, as it aids in capturing packets, extracting hashes, and even cracking these hashes through a range of attack methods, such as dictionary attacks. Additionally, Aircrack offers comprehensive support for the most up-to-date wireless interfaces.
To use aircrack-ng:
- aircrack-ng comes pre-compiled with Kali Linux.
- Simply type aircrack-ng in the terminal to use it.
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