Cyber security tools

Cyber security is an essential part of the internet industry to protect confidential data and financial records, and a system needs security. Cyber security analysts provide various tools to keep confidential company data safe and secure and prevent financial loss, compromised data, etc. Cyber security tools can be free, paid, or open-source available on the Internet.

There are different types of cyber security tools, such as:-

1. Firewall A firewall is the most common cyber security tool that makes a wall to prevent unauthorized access and viruses or malware by accessing private networks connected to the Internet. A firewall is very important, useful, and implemented as software, hardware, or both. A firewall has some limitations because all the skilled hackers know to create programs and data, same as a trusted firewall. We can pass the program through the firewall without any problem. Firewall cyber security tools are:

2. Managed detection and response services This is a powerful form of defense of cyber security service that provides threat intelligence, incident response, threat hunting, security monitoring, and incident analysis. Managed detection services are useful for organizations that lack resources and need them to improve their ability to detect threats, become aware of risks, and respond to threats. MDR autodetect threats and respond for faster results by using machine learning and artificial intelligence to investigate threats. MDR has various characteristics like focusing on threat detection despite compliance, relying on advanced analytics and security event management, monitoring remote response and incident validation, and networking with automation.

3. Penetration testing tool In the cyber security world, penetration testing is used to secure own network, evaluate business security systems, and security of IT infrastructure to detect its vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities can exist anywhere services and applications, operating systems, improper configuration, or risky end-user behavior. A simulated real-world attack is attempted on a network or application in penetration testing. This testing is performed using automated and manual technologies to systematically evaluate web applications, servers, wireless networks, network devices, endpoints, mobile devices, and other potential points of vulnerability. Successful penetration testing finds the vulnerabilities or threats of the system and can bring the required changes to the system. This tool is versatile and great to learn as it can be used offensively to big hunt and hack a network ethically. Some penetration testing tools are lucy security, aircrack, Metasploit, and Nmap.

4. Network security monitoring tools Cyber security experts designed these tools to detect network-based threats and analyze network data. Some of the network security monitoring tools are packet fence, Argus, Wireshark, snort, spy cloud, Splunk, breach alarm, and NoMoreRansom,

5. Antivirus software tools Antivirus is designed to prevent various malware in the system for securing confidential data and information. Antivirus software tools are designed to protect from spyware, adware, Trojans, worms, ransomware, and many other harmful viruses. Antivirus software tools are Norton antivirus, Norton 360, McAfree Total, Kaspersky Anti-virus, and Bitdefender antivirus.

6. Encryption tools Encryption tools are an efficient and vital part of cyber security designed to protect data by scrambling text which makes it unreadable to unauthorized users. Encryption data is decrypted by decrypted key for further use of users. The encryption tools are Tor, TCPCrypt, VeraCrypt, NordLocker, AxCrypt, and TrueCrypt.

7. Packet sniffers Packet sniffers in cyber security are also known as network analyzers, packet analyzers, or protocol analyzers. Packet sniffers intercept, log, and analyze data and network traffic. Some of the packet sniffer tools are Windump, Wireshark, and Tcpdump.

8. Web vulnerability scanning tools Major work on the Internet is fulfilled with websites and applications, so they must be scanned properly. Cyber security analysts designed web vulnerability scanning tools that scan web applications to identify security vulnerabilities by using SQL injection, path traversal, and cross-site scripting. Some web vulnerability scanning tools are Nikto, Burp Suite, Nessus professional, SQLMap, Paros Proxy, and Acunetix.

9. Network intrusion detection Without a network, no communication occurs; therefore, network security is the priority, so a network intrusion detection tool monitors network or system traffic for unusual or suspicious activity. The IDS tool notifies the system administrator if a potential threat is detected. Examples of network intrusion detection are Solid Winds Security Event Manager, Snort, Zeek, kismet, and Security Onion.

10. PKI services PKI (public key infrastructure) helps the user exchange data between the user and computer system over the Internet. This tool verifies the public key infrastructure. Identity of other party and identification and distribution of public encryption keys. It ensures the exchange of sensitive information with the authentication of another party by encrypting the server communication. It solves various cyber security problems and is responsible for HTTPS and padlock have seen on the address bar. Public key infrastructure is used to build identity, create a complaint, trust into IoT ecosystem, protect the code, access control, authenticate the ender's identity, enable multi-factor authentication, trusted digital signature, and encrypt email communication. Some of the PKI

11. Password auditing tools Password auditing tools are used to handle all the security related to passwords. This tool decides the method of entering a password and monitors the login attempts of the user to restrict unauthorized access. It guesses passwords' validity, reliability, and strength over the network. This can be done by brute force attack, a combination of dictionary and other attacks due to which passwords are compromised. Some of the password auditing tools are John the Ripper and KeePass.

Let’s learn about cyber security tools in detail. Some of the tools are:-

• Kali Linux

It is a penetration testing tool used in cyber security that consists of tools in the network, security auditing, system scanning for vulnerabilities, etc. Organizations use Kali Linux to scan their network and IT systems against threats and vulnerabilities. This tool uses around 300 different software for security editing that maintains and monitors the system's network security with a single click. Kali uses Window Subsystem for Linux, in which users run Linux executable files directly from the window 10 system. Kali Linux tool is accessible by all types of users, including newbies to experienced ones, to reinforce their security in networking because no set of expertise or degree to function is required.     

• KeePass

KeePass is an efficient encryption tool that securely stores passwords. It is a free and open-source password manager tool that provides users a single and particular space for their unique passwords for websites, web servers, network login, and email account credentials. 

Database encryption uses the most secure and trustable algorithms such as Twofish, AES-256, and ChaCha20. With the help of this algorithm, this tool encrypts the whole database, including user names, notes, etc., with the password files. All the passwords are stored in a secure database (with a lock) that can be unlocked by applying a single master key.

• Metasploit Framework

Metasploit Framework tests your systems for known and open vulnerabilities, designed under an exploitation and vulnerability validation tool. This tool work by dividing penetration testing workflow into feasible sections, or user can also set up their workflows. The auditing and network port scanning feature scan approximately 250 ports exposed to external services. The auto exploitation feature can find corresponding exploits, cross-referencing open services, vulnerability references, and fingerprint experts.

• Nikto

Nikto cyber security tool designed to scan web servers for multiple vulnerabilities. It is a free and open-source web server scanner or pen tester tool available under GPL. An interface provides multiple options to run against a host or examine the host to find vulnerabilities. For example, server misconfiguration of out-of-date programs and system version issues might risk the server.

• The version-specific issue is detected by testing more than 6,700 potentially harmful files/programs, and outdated versions are detected on over 1,250 servers, including version-specific problems on over 270 servers. 
• Server configuration issues are also performed by checking multiple index files and HTTP server options. This also identifies installed web servers and software. 

• Nmap

Nmap tool stands for Network Mapper tool run on windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems where it is used to scan large networks. It is used for penetration testing and security auditing, where NSE scripts are meant to detect vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and security issues concerning network services. Network administrators also use it to perform tasks around network inventory, monitoring uptime, and service upgrade schedule. Before a security audit starts, Nmap maps the network and ports, and by using scripts, it can recognize security problems. After consuming or fetching raw data, this tool determines the operating system (OS), host type, and host available. 

• OpenVAS

This cyber security tool is free for users and an open-source tool that performs authenticated and unauthenticated testing. It is a full-fledged vulnerability scanner tool that tests low-level and high-level Internet and industry protocol. Any vulnerability test can be conducted by taking advantage of its internal programming language that performs large-scale scans.

• OSSEC

OSSEC is a free and open-source, multi-platform, scalable Host-based intrusion detection system (HIDS). This tool uses firewall policies to handle real-time system changes and withstand cyber-attacks. OSSEC tool featuring self-healing capabilities and server protection, log analysis tool that monitors and analyses firewall, web servers, ID, and authentication logs in the cloud and normal premise. This tool provides system-level auditing for compliance with standards like CIS and PCI-DSS.

• Security onion

Security onion is designed to set up a network security monitoring platform within minutes and consists of components like full packet capture and intrusion detection. IDS function correlate host-based events with network-based events with other toolsets such as Bru, Snort, Sguil, and Suricata.

It is a Debian-based Linux distribution and all-in-one open security solution consisting of various tools for detecting threats and monitoring enterprise security and log management.

Security onion can't backup configurations automatically other than rules and can't support Wi-Fi for managing the network.     

• VeraCrypt

Encryption tools are important in cyber security, and VeraCrypt is designed for disk encryption. This tool encrypts in real-time as it can run on Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux. It supports a hidden operating system and drives on a machine (create a virtual encrypted disk within a file). Before dumping it into the cloud, it can encrypt the whole (entire portion) of a USB flash drive or hard drive. Pre-boot is authenticated by encrypting a drive or partition installed by the Windows operating system.  

• Wireshark

This cyber security tool comes under the network protocol analysis tool, a free and open-source tool. This tool is utilized to observe the network at a microscopic level, including monitoring the traffic, checking the packet format, dumping specific packets, and finding network issues. Wireshark tool works by capturing data packets moving within a network and making them available for the user in a human-readable form. It runs on multiple platforms like Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD, Solaris, and NetBSD. It also allows deep inspection of hundreds of protocols, including IPsec, ISAKMP, Kerberos, SNMPv3, SSL/TLS, WEP, and WPA/WPA2. The user can live capture the data using Ethernet, Npcap adapter, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and token ring. It can also analyze the data offline.

• Cain and Abel

This cyber security tool is the best and oldest tool to identify Windows and password recovery weaknesses. Cyber security experts use this tool to find vulnerabilities in the password security of various window-based systems.

It includes functions and features like analyzing routing protocols (check whether routing packets get compromised) and recording VoIP communications. This tool works by disclosing cache passwords and password boxes, etc. Force attacks are also used to crack encrypted passwords and decode scrambled passwords.

• John the Ripper

Security experts use this password security tool to test the strength of passwords. Password is the entry point of the treat and cybercriminals, so it's necessary to protect and make strong undetectable passwords. It poses a security threat to the system by exposing weak passwords. Firstly, John, the Ripper tool was made for the UNIX platform, but later the new versions were designed to work on other operating systems like DOS, OpenVMS systems, windows, etc. This tool searches for encrypted login credentials, complex ciphers, and hash-like passwords to find weak passwords. This app is updated regularly to provide accurate results during penetration testing. It's an ideal tool for password security used by cyber security experts.

• Tcpdump

Tcpdump is a useful packet sniffing tool for networks. It helps monitor and logs TCP/IP traffic shared over a network. This command-based software tool analyzes the traffic of the systems, along with the network that the traffic goes through. Besides, this tool tests the network security by segregating TCP/IP data traffic received via the Internet. Tcpdump also defines the contents of the network traffic packets.

• Netstumbler

Netstumbler is designed to recognize open network ports and is used for the wardriving purpose. This tool uses WAP-seeking methods to recognize open ports, which is popular among organizations for network defense. This cyber security tool runs on the Windows operating system, and it has no allocation for source code.

• Aircrack-ng

This cyber security tool is designed to analyze the vulnerabilities of Wi-Fi security. This tool has numerous functions used by professionals to export data packets for understanding the text files that pass through various security assessments. Aircrack-ng does continuous monitoring by gathering data packets connected to a network. It tests the reliability of WEP and WPA-PSK keys by cracking them that also makes the organization understand the strength of the network. It enhances network security after supporting the capture and injection required to access network card performance.      

• KisMAC

KisMAC is specially designed for MAC operating system to provide wireless network security. This tool is not meant for fresher and entry-level security professionals because it has numerous high-end features. This tool gets into the security of WEP and WPA keys by using techniques like weak scheduling, brute force attacks, exploiting flaws, and various other similar techniques. If experts crack keys, they are not secure and vulnerable to possible cyber-attacks.                                              

• Nexpose

Nexpose cyber security tool is designed for security professionals to manage and scan weaknesses in the operating system. It offers real-time functionalities to detect the system's weakness, which experts utilize to identify and minimize the possible attacks. The security team uses Nexpose to assign a risk score to the system's weakness. The team can create a priority list of weaknesses based on these security levels as this tool offers a live view of various network activities. Nexpose gives surety of the latest data threat as it regularly updates its database; after updation, it can adapt to the various kind of threat environments in the software and data.

• ParosProxy

Paro's proxy tool is designed to discover various vulnerabilities on the web. It is a java based security tool where experts perform several security tests by using a set of tools implemented in the Paros proxy such as web spider, traffic recorded, and vulnerability scanner to retain real-time network activities.

The main advantage of the tool is that it can be easily edited by rudimentary java or HTTP/HTTPS. This tool is ideal for detecting network vulnerabilities, including basic and popular cyber security threats (cross-site scripting and SQL injection threats).

• Burp Suite

Burp Suite tool is meant to enhance the network security of a business or an organization. This tool has a feature to simulate attacks by finding different ways by which threats can be weakened and compromise the security of the network. A security expert uses a robust tool to perform real-time scans on systems to identify vital vulnerabilities because they impact their security.

Burp Suite is available in three versions 1) Professional, 2) Community, and 3) Enterprise.

Community Burp Suite version – Available for free and has some restricted features that cannot be used. Essential manual tools are offered by this tool.

 The Professional and Enterprise version of Burp Suite is designed for commercial use; therefore, they are free of cost. Being expensive for small businesses, this tool is still the top choice of security tool for most organizations.

• Nessus Professional

It is one of the most powerful cyber security tools used to define network security by improving network integrity and rectifying system security errors. It also detects software bugs and incorrect patches like vulnerabilities. Nessus professionals find security misconfigurations and manage them properly in IT devices, software applications, and operating systems.            

• True Crypt

The true crypt is an encryption cyber security tool used for on-the-fly encryption where it encrypts complete storage or partition of a device and builds virtual encrypted disks. This tool has been popular in the cyber security industry for several years because it encrypts layered content.

• Tor

The main aim of Tor is to safeguard information security by preventing cyber security threats too. While internet user privacy is the major consent, Tor protects user privacy for this cyber security tool. It ensures that the user is undetectable, making it difficult to trace the user's information or identity on the Internet.

• Splunk

This cyber security is an all-around system security software that monitors network security. This tool helps analyze real-time network and historical research for threat data. This tool has a user-friendly interface that catches, assembles, and, based on data, generates alerts, dashboards, reports, and graphs in real

-time.

POF

POF is a network scanning and threat detecting cyber security tool that scans the network and detects the host of OS connected to a network. This tool is used and handled by highly advanced IT professionals, but newbies can face problems in learning how to use it, and it also helps to make assorted queries, probes, name lookups, and so on.

• Argus

ARGUS stands for audit record generation and utilization system designed for network traffic analysis. Professionals use this open-source computer network security software to conduct in-depth data analysis. It consists of features providing comprehensive and quick reporting.              

• Nagios

This cyber security tool is designed for professionals to monitor different networks like POP3, ICMP, HTTP, NNTP, SMTP, etc. It detects security when monitors are connected over a network and host. After detecting the intrusion or security issue over the network, this tool alerts the user to warn about it. Still, the user has to choose the notification alert (if they want to get a notification).

• Snort

Snort is also a network scanning and intrusion prevention tool used by security experts to conduct traffic analysis to detect intrusion signs. This tool performs protocol analysis, detects frequent attacks on a system, looks for data captured from traffic, etc. If an intrusion is detected, it alerts the user and prevents malicious traffic.

• Acunetix

This cyber security tool is designed to protect the business from internal attacks. Every business tries to protect their data or information from hackers that may attack network security via social engineering/internal threat or directly through the firewall. Still, they pay less attention to web-based apps security problems like login pages, online forms, shopping carts, etc. therefore, security experts use the Acunetix tool that helps organizations defend against more than 4500 cyber security attacks on web-based sites and apps. This tool executes conventional hacks to test the security defense's efficiency by moving through the system.

• Forcepoint

Force point cyber security tool is meant for cloud users that allow experts to customize SD-Wan that restrict resource data being accessed by the user, which prevents intrusion and probable exploitation of vulnerabilities. This tool helps Network Admins easily detect malicious acts in a network, giving them enough time to take necessary actions to prevent them. This is one of the significant benefits of Forcepoint over other tools, as they are designed to track the problems so that users can apply the required techniques to fix them later. One of its significant functionalities is that it poses security risks to the cloud systems by warning and blocking the cloud servers. Further, it offers a high level of security in other applications with significant data.

• GFILanGaurd

GFILanGaurd cyber security tool is a network service monitoring tool that monitors network services continuously, identifies vulnerabilities, detects network intrusion, and applies patches wherever needed. It also does network auditing to detect vulnerabilities in the network-linked devices like computers and mobiles. This software can run on various operating systems like Linux, Windows, Mac, etc.

• Webroot

Webroot tool is recommended for home and business working on the network. This tool is specially designed to provide cloud-based security in Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, and Android. 

• Mimecast

The Mimecast security tool is also a cloud-based security tool used by IT experts for multiple purposes like information protection, Web security, cyber relicense, email security, cloud archiving, etc.

• Lifelock

This all-around protection tool protects devices connected to a network, including personal information, online privacy, and user identity privacy. The LifeLock tool monitors identity threats and thefts by detecting them. It also sends an alert notification to users and blocks cyber-crimes.    

• Avira

Avira cyber security tool is used for scheduling the scan, traffic filtering, and network protection by providing multitudes of solutions like system speedup, antivirus, and VPN. This tool provides security, real-time protection, and privacy for video chat, web browsing, voice calls, etc.

• Vipre

This cyber security tool is designed to stay safe against cyber crimes and threats. It also protects from malware, malicious attacks, and spam messages in the home and business network.

• Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes cyber security tool is designed to detect threats that can't be detected through antivirus and block them. It's a top network security tool that detects and block around 8000,000 threats every day and protect the system against ransomware, malicious website, malware, and other online threats. This is also best for home and office network security because it's a multi-layered protection feature.

• Dashlane

Dashlane is a password security cyber security tool that strictly monitors the password manager, only associated with one device. Its service redeems with security alerts and allows a maximum number of 50 passwords. This tool applies military-grade AES 256 bit encryption (the golden standard in the cyber security world), and 2FA authentication is also added to it to make the vault even safer. Dashlane also includes desktop apps for Linux, Windows, and macOS.

• Tripwire

A host-based detection system is developed by a tripwire, which runs exclusively on Linux distribution, and it is an open and free source. With this tool, system administrators can detect alterations to system files and detect them being corrupted or tampered files.    

• Samhain

Samhain provides a central management system to check the file integrity, detect hidden processes, and monitor log files. This tool provides encrypted and centralized monitoring capabilities over TCP/IP communications. This tool lets users log for emails, syslogs, SQL database, consoles, Prelude IDS, etc. It is easy to install and has great stealth (hidden) intruders.