The introduction of automated technology has significantly altered the field of ethical hacking, also referred to as penetration testing. Several tools with the potential to accelerate the testing process are currently being developed. Ethical hacking allows firms to strengthen the security of their information and systems. It is also one of the most effective methods for boosting the capabilities of a company’s security specialists. Ethical hacking may be a very beneficial complement to an organization’s security procedures, and implementing it could be quite advantageous.

Let us look at some of the most powerful and useful Ethical Hacking Tools presently available:

1. Traceroute NG:

Traceroute NG is a program that streamlines the process of examining a network’s paths. Traceroute NG provides an accurate evaluation of CLI in addition to the identification of hostnames, packet loss, and IP addresses (command line interface). Traceroute NG is an excellent ethical hacking tool that enables you to study how data travels across a network.

It works exceptionally well for identifying missing packets, hostnames, and even IP addresses. This security application analyzes path alterations and enables continuous network scanning.

• Using the Traceroute NG tool, you will be able to conduct ICMP and TCP network path analysis.
• Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) is a protocol used at the network layer to identify specific network faults.
• You will be able to reveal your network’s vulnerabilities and organize your team to remedy such vulnerabilities and safeguard your network.
• TCP network path analysis will also allow you to detect security vulnerabilities in network communication.
• In addition, Traceroute NG maintains a complete log of your information in the form of a .txt file, which you may access at any time.

The following is a listing of some of Traceroute NG’s features:

• ICMP and TCP can also be utilized for network path analysis.
• Creates log files with the.txt extension.
• Both IPv4 and IPv6 compatibility is supported.
• Notifies the user of any changes discovered along the path.
• Permits the network to be tested on a continual basis.

2. Hashcat:

Hashcat is a tool for ethical hacking that focuses mostly on cracking passwords, but it also has additional features. This program’s primary purpose is to aid you in retrieving passwords that may have been forgotten due to memory loss or cybercriminal activity. Hashcat is an open-source platform, meaning that its source code is accessible to the public.

Moreover, if you have some experience of coding, you can adapt the code to match your particular needs. This results in a large number of alternative setups.

With the aid of Hashcat, you can retrieve lost passwords and monitor the amount of security given by your password. This tool also allows you to determine the type of information contained within a hash.

In addition, Hashcat includes a thermal watchdog and a benchmarking system that are already integrated.

It monitors the functionality of your computer system or server and fixes any faults it detects automatically. By operating your system in this manner, you can ensure that it is always tuned and does not spend an excessive amount of energy.

Additionally, Hashcat enables you to interactively pause and resume the scan. This capability is accessible to you.

In addition, it can decrypt many hashes simultaneously and implement them such that performance is the priority.

3. WebInspect:

WebInspect is another powerful piece of software for ethical hacking that you should consider employing. WebInspect enables businesses to do dynamic and automated application security testing. Consequently, corporations are now able to conduct ethical hacking operations and exercises effectively. WebInspect can do a comprehensive and dynamic analysis of even the most complex web services and applications.

Some of the most important features are as listed below:

• Permits the testing of dynamic behavior during the execution of web applications in order to uncover potential vulnerabilities.
• It achieves this by presenting statistics and data visualizations important to the network scans being done on a company’s system.
• Centralized functions of centralized program management.
• The utilization of advanced technology, such as simultaneous crawl, enables both amateurs and experts to conduct experiments.
• Facilitated communication with management regarding compliance management, trending vulnerabilities, and risk management.

4. IKECrack

IKECrack is an opensource cracking tool deployed by ethical hackers for authentication purposes. With the use of this tool, dictionary and brute-force attacks are now possible. It is one of the most popular tools used by hackers for cryptography-related activities. IKECrack is a unique tool for cracking IKE/IPSec authentication codes. It is open-source and runs at a rapid rate. This hacking tool that adheres to ethical norms prioritizes the security of your credentials and the integrity of your network.

• It utilizes brute force or dictionary attacks automatically in an attempt to crack your password.
• This could be the password entered during the IKE verification process for a Pre-Shared-Key. You will always be aware of any vulnerabilities in your password if you pick this method.
• IKECrack is unquestionably the best choice for cryptography projects. It is the most efficient approach for breaking codes and determining how tough or easy it is to decipher a password.

However, they are not the only characteristics it has. IKECrack is able to provide the aforementioned products because it adopts a very performance-oriented strategy.

• To begin, the client initiating the chat sends the client responding to the conversation certain information. This document proposes a variety of encryption solutions.
• The responder will then generate a random number, calculate the DH public value, and send it along with the hash to the initiator.
• In this circumstance, both authentication and the initiation of communication between the responder and the initiator are achievable.
• The initiator will transmit the packet containing the reply, which will also be encrypted using a hash. As can be seen, the technique is fairly strict, and performance is given considerable consideration.
• However, this tool is restricted to deploying only dictionary and brute-force attacks.

Therefore, it will be unable to provide you with information about the security of your system in relation to the use of different methods for cracking passwords.

IKECrack includes a variety of features, including the following:

• Provides the essential functionality to perform cryptographic operations.
• Sends encrypted packets, including a proposal for many encryption options, a random number, an identifier, and the DH public key to the responder/gateway.

5. Acunetix:

Acunetix is an exceptional tool for scanning your online application for vulnerabilities and doing ethical hacking. By approaching the issue from the standpoint of a hacker, it employs a method that is entirely original and new. This allows organizations and their systems to keep a competitive advantage over hackers employed by malicious third parties. This online application security scanner is able to conduct accurate scans on single-page, HTML5, and JavaScript apps. In addition, it performs audits on authenticated as well as complex web applications and provides management and compliance reports based on data on a variety of network and web vulnerabilities.

Acunetix includes a variety of features, such as the following:

• Designed to detect vulnerabilities in over 1200 unique WordPress themes, plugins, and core components.
• Simple integration with commonly used issue trackers and work item tracking systems to facilitate software development life cycle.
• A comprehensive investigation of nearly all potential variations of SQL Injection, XSS, and over 4500 additional vulnerabilities.
• There is both an on-premises solution and a cloud-based option available.