Cyberattacks keep getting smarter, and businesses need to keep up. In a 2023 study, security experts ran external penetration testing techniques and found 423 weak spots in different systems.
What’s more concerning? Over a third of those were serious enough to cause real damage if left unfixed.
That’s where penetration testing tools come in. These tools help you check your systems the same way a hacker would—by looking for vulnerabilities before someone else does.
In this guide, you’ll learn what a penetration load testing tool is, the types of tools out there, and which ones are the best to use in 2025. If you’re in charge of keeping your business secure, this breakdown will help you choose the right tools for the job.
A penetration test—also known as a pen test or pentesting—is a simulated cyberattack used to evaluate the security of an IT system.
The goal is to uncover vulnerabilities in systems, applications, or networks before attackers can exploit them. Penetration testing tools are used to automate parts of this process, from identifying open ports to attempting exploitation of known security issues.
These tests can range from targeted manual assessments to large-scale automated penetration testing that scans multiple systems for weaknesses.
They often follow frameworks like the OWASP Top 10 to evaluate web application security, or align with compliance requirements such as PCI DSS, ISO 27001, or NIS2.
Penetration testing covers a wide area of security testing—from scanning open ports to cracking weak credentials. Below are the major categories of penetration testing tools, each designed for a specific task in the assessment process.
Port scanners are one of the first tools used during a penetration testing technique. They help identify open ports on a web server, endpoint, or network device. Once a list of active ports is available, testers can determine which services are running and whether they are vulnerable.
Tools like Nmap are widely used in both manual pen testing and automated pentesting workflows. Port scanning is essential for discovering attack surfaces and mapping out the network.
Vulnerability scanners check systems for known security issues, outdated software, and missing security patches. These penetration load testing tools use large databases of known CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) and can scan everything from operating systems to web applications.
Some tools are designed for internal use, while others can assess external network security or API security testing. Open source options like OpenVAS or premium platforms like Nessus provide extensive scanning capabilities.
A network sniffer captures and analyses network traffic to detect unusual behavior, unencrypted data, or malicious activity. Penetration testers use sniffers to review session data, cookies, and sometimes even credentials transmitted over the network.
Wireshark is one of the most widely used sniffing tools. It helps detect insecure protocols, active sessions, and data leakage from apps or devices.
A web proxy sits between the tester’s browser and the target application, allowing full control over HTTP/HTTPS requests and responses. Tools like Burp Suite or OWASP ZAP are critical in testing web app vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, XSS, and broken authentication.
Proxies allow different penetration testing techniques to intercept traffic, modify requests, and scan for security weaknesses. They're especially useful in testing web applications and network configurations where user input is involved.
Password crackers are used to test the strength of user credentials. By attempting to crack weak passwords using dictionaries or brute-force techniques, they help uncover accounts that may be easy to compromise.
Tools like John the Ripper or Hashcat are used for offline cracking, especially when hashes are captured during a penetration load testing tool. These tools support different hashing algorithms and can be accelerated using GPUs.
Below are six of the most widely recommended top penetration testing tools used by professionals in 2025—each suited for specific types of testing.
An industry standard for web application testing, Burp Suite offers both free and premium versions. It's a web proxy that allows for detailed request inspection, tampering, and vulnerability scanning.
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Nmap is a powerful open-source network scanner used by penetration testers for security scanning, open port detection, and network mapping.
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A core tool in many penetration testing techniques, Metasploit allows security teams to automate the exploitation of known vulnerabilities and test system defenses.
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Developed by the OWASP Foundation, ZAP is an open-source web app scanner ideal for dynamic application security testing.
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Nikto is a web server scanner that checks for dangerous files, outdated software, and common misconfigurations. This penetration load testing tool is a quick way to identify basic issues.
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While not a single tool, Kali Linux is a penetration testing operating system that bundles over 600 tools for offensive security, security research, and manual testing.
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Free penetration testing tools, especially open-source, can be safe when sourced from credible developers and used correctly.
Many of the top tools in use today—like Nmap, Metasploit, and OWASP ZAP—are free and maintained by large security communities. These tools are trusted by security teams, cybersecurity researchers, and penetration testers for both manual pen testing and automated pentesting.
However, risks come into play when tools are outdated, improperly configured, or downloaded from unofficial repositories. Unverified tools may contain malicious code or expose your systems to new security issues.
Free tools also often lack support, which can cause problems if a vulnerability is misidentified or the tool disrupts production environments during a penetration testing technique.
Before deploying any open-source tool, it’s important to review the source code (if available), verify its testing process, and test in a safe environment—especially when handling tasks like web application security, password cracking, or vulnerability scanning.
If your business needs a network penetration check or web server scanner, Carmichael Consulting Solutions provides a secure, reliable network test using industry-leading open-source penetration testing tools.
Our team deploys proven testing tools to help you identify open ports, missing security patches, and vulnerabilities that may go unnoticed with basic security scanning.
Let us run a comprehensive testing campaign using the best tools in the industry—so you stay a step ahead of attackers and maintain trust with your clients.
Contact us today to schedule your penetration test.
A penetration test is a simulated cyberattack designed to evaluate the strength of your security by actively trying to exploit weaknesses.
Unlike a basic vulnerability scanning session that only detects flaws, a penetration load testing tool involves using a real testing tool or exploitation technique to determine whether those vulnerabilities can actually be breached.
Different penetration testing techniques give deeper insight into security risks than scans alone.
Penetration testing tools like Nmap, Metasploit, and Burp Suite are popular with security teams for their reliability and breadth of features.
These pentesting tools are used across different phases of testing—from discovery to exploitation—and offer both manual and automated capabilities.
Many professionals also rely on open-source solutions due to flexibility and transparency.
There are several types of penetration testing tools, including those focused on web application attacks, password cracking, enumeration, and network scanning.
For example, to perform a full scan, tools like Nikto are used for web servers, while Hydra serves as a pen test tool for credential brute-forcing.
It’s important to align tools with the target system—such as APIs, internal applications, or customer-facing portals.
Yes, many pen testing tool options are open source, and some of the top open source penetration load testing tools are safe when managed by skilled professionals. Tools like OWASP ZAP and sqlmap are widely adopted because they’re reliable and well-maintained.
However, even open-source penetration testing tools should be tested in a controlled setting before full deployment, especially during live security assessments.
Automated pentesting uses scripts and pre-built security testing routines to quickly identify vulnerabilities, while manual pentesting involves human expertise to simulate complex attack scenarios.
While automation helps to automate repetitive tasks and improve scale, manual testing is often required for logic-based flaws that automated tools can’t identify. A mix of both is ideal for web apps and network penetration testing techniques.
Yes. API-focused vulnerability scanners like Postman with security testing extensions, or Burp Suite's API scanner module, are perfect for API security testing. Meanwhile, web server vulnerabilities can be exposed using a web server scanner like Nikto.
These tools help uncover flaws in application security, such as open ports, outdated modules, or improperly configured endpoints in your web applications and network infrastructure.
Kali Linux is a dedicated penetration load testing tool preloaded with over 600 tools for offensive security, making it one of the best tools available for both beginners and advanced testers.
It includes everything from password cracker utilities to network traffic analyzers and web proxy tools.
Built for cyber security professionals, Kali also supports GitHub integrations, open-source intelligence gathering, and dynamic application security testing.
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