Beginner Pentester’s Toolkit: A Brief Overview of Essential Tools
In this article, we present a short digest of key tools that are useful for internal network penetration testing. These tools are already widely used by security professionals, so understanding their capabilities and mastering them will be beneficial for anyone.
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Contents
Nmap
Zmap
Masscan
Nessus
Net-Creds
NetworkMiner
mitm6
Responder
Evil_Foca
Bettercap
gateway_finder
mitmproxy
SIET
yersinia
proxychains
---
Nmap
Nmap is an open-source network scanning utility and one of the most popular tools among security professionals and system administrators. It is primarily used for port scanning but also includes a wide range of additional features, making it a powerful all-in-one network exploration tool.
In addition to checking open/closed ports, Nmap can identify services running on open ports and their versions, and sometimes even determine the operating system. It also supports scripting via the NSE (Nmap Scripting Engine), allowing vulnerability checks or brute-force attacks on services (if scripts exist—or you can write your own).
Nmap helps build a detailed network map, gather information about services, and proactively check for vulnerabilities. It also offers flexible scanning options, including speed, threading, and grouping.
Pros:
Fast on small host ranges
Highly configurable
Parallel scanning with host grouping
Predefined script sets
Multiple output formats (including XML)
Cons:
Host data unavailable until group scan completes
Slower than asynchronous scanners (e.g., Zmap, Masscan)
Possible false negatives with aggressive settings
High packet rates may cause unintended DoS
---
Zmap
Zmap is another open-source scanner designed as a faster alternative to Nmap.
Unlike Nmap, Zmap does not wait for responses after sending SYN packets. It scans asynchronously and processes responses as they arrive. It sends only one SYN packet per port.
Pros:
Very high speed
Bypasses TCP/IP stack (raw Ethernet frames)
Supports PF_RING for high-performance scanning
Randomizes targets to distribute load
Integrates with ZGrab for application-layer data
Cons:
May overload network devices or cause DoS
---
Masscan
Masscan is an extremely fast open-source scanner capable of scanning the entire Internet in minutes (~10 million packets/sec).
Pros:
Nmap-like syntax
Extremely fast
Supports scan resumption and distributed scanning
Cons:
High network load → possible DoS
No built-in L7 scanning
---
Nessus
Nessus is a vulnerability scanner used to detect known vulnerabilities automatically. It is proprietary but offers a free “Home” version (limited to 16 IPs).
It can detect vulnerable service versions, misconfigurations, and perform brute-force attacks. It also supports credentialed scans (SSH or Active Directory).
Pros:
регулярно обновляемая база уязвимостей
Multiple output formats
API for automation
Credential scanning
Custom scripts (NASL)
Scheduled scans
Cons:
May disrupt systems if used carelessly
Commercial version is paid
---
Net-Creds
Net-Creds is a Python tool for extracting credentials, hashes, URLs, and other data from network traffic (live or PCAP files).
Pros:
Identifies services via packet analysis
Easy to use
Extracts credentials (FTP, SMTP, NTLM, HTTP, etc.)
---
NetworkMiner
NetworkMiner is similar to Net-Creds but more feature-rich, including file extraction (e.g., via SMB). It also has a GUI.
Pros:
Graphical interface
Data visualization and classification
Cons:
Limited functionality in free version
---
mitm6
mitm6 performs IPv6-based attacks (SLAAC). Since IPv6 is enabled by default in many systems, attackers can spoof DNS via Router Advertisement.
Pros:
Effective in default Windows environments
---
Responder
Responder is used for spoofing name resolution protocols (LLMNR, NetBIOS, MDNS). Essential for Active Directory attacks.
Pros:
Multiple built-in servers (SMB, HTTP, LDAP, etc.)
NTLM capture and relay support
DNS spoofing
Passive analysis mode
Hash compatibility with cracking tools
Cons:
Port conflicts on Windows (e.g., port 445)
---
Evil_Foca
Evil_Foca is a tool for network attacks in IPv4 and IPv6 environments.
Pros:
MITM attacks (ARP spoofing, DHCP, SLAAC)
DoS capabilities
DNS hijacking
User-friendly GUI
Cons:
Windows-only
---
Bettercap
Bettercap is a powerful network attack and analysis framework supporting wired, wireless, BLE, and more.
Pros:
Credential sniffing
Built-in MITM attacks
Modular proxy
HTTP server
Scriptable (caplets)
Cons:
Some modules Linux-only
---
gateway_finder
A Python script for discovering potential gateways in a network.
Pros:
Simple and customizable
Useful for segmentation testing
---
mitmproxy
mitmproxy is an open-source tool for intercepting and analyzing SSL/TLS traffic.
Pros:
Supports multiple protocols
Python API
Transparent proxy mode
Cons:
Non-standard dump format
---
SIET
SIET exploits the Cisco Smart Install protocol to gain control over devices.
Pros:
Can modify configs, upload firmware, execute commands
Cons:
Limited to certain Cisco devices
Requires network proximity or public IP
---
yersinia
Yersinia is a framework for Layer 2 attacks.
Pros:
Attacks protocols like STP, CDP, DHCP, HSRP
Cons:
Not very user-friendly
---
proxychains
Proxychains routes application traffic through SOCKS proxies.
Pros:
Enables proxy usage for apps that don’t support it
---
Conclusion
In this article, we briefly reviewed the key tools for internal network pentesting, along with their pros and cons.
Stay tuned for more digests—we plan to cover web, databases, mobile apps, and more.
Feel free to share your favorite tools!
In this article, we present a short digest of key tools that are useful for internal network penetration testing. These tools are already widely used by security professionals, so understanding their capabilities and mastering them will be beneficial for anyone.
---
Contents
Nmap
Zmap
Masscan
Nessus
Net-Creds
NetworkMiner
mitm6
Responder
Evil_Foca
Bettercap
gateway_finder
mitmproxy
SIET
yersinia
proxychains
---
Nmap
Nmap is an open-source network scanning utility and one of the most popular tools among security professionals and system administrators. It is primarily used for port scanning but also includes a wide range of additional features, making it a powerful all-in-one network exploration tool.
In addition to checking open/closed ports, Nmap can identify services running on open ports and their versions, and sometimes even determine the operating system. It also supports scripting via the NSE (Nmap Scripting Engine), allowing vulnerability checks or brute-force attacks on services (if scripts exist—or you can write your own).
Nmap helps build a detailed network map, gather information about services, and proactively check for vulnerabilities. It also offers flexible scanning options, including speed, threading, and grouping.
Pros:
Fast on small host ranges
Highly configurable
Parallel scanning with host grouping
Predefined script sets
Multiple output formats (including XML)
Cons:
Host data unavailable until group scan completes
Slower than asynchronous scanners (e.g., Zmap, Masscan)
Possible false negatives with aggressive settings
High packet rates may cause unintended DoS
---
Zmap
Zmap is another open-source scanner designed as a faster alternative to Nmap.
Unlike Nmap, Zmap does not wait for responses after sending SYN packets. It scans asynchronously and processes responses as they arrive. It sends only one SYN packet per port.
Pros:
Very high speed
Bypasses TCP/IP stack (raw Ethernet frames)
Supports PF_RING for high-performance scanning
Randomizes targets to distribute load
Integrates with ZGrab for application-layer data
Cons:
May overload network devices or cause DoS
---
Masscan
Masscan is an extremely fast open-source scanner capable of scanning the entire Internet in minutes (~10 million packets/sec).
Pros:
Nmap-like syntax
Extremely fast
Supports scan resumption and distributed scanning
Cons:
High network load → possible DoS
No built-in L7 scanning
---
Nessus
Nessus is a vulnerability scanner used to detect known vulnerabilities automatically. It is proprietary but offers a free “Home” version (limited to 16 IPs).
It can detect vulnerable service versions, misconfigurations, and perform brute-force attacks. It also supports credentialed scans (SSH or Active Directory).
Pros:
регулярно обновляемая база уязвимостей
Multiple output formats
API for automation
Credential scanning
Custom scripts (NASL)
Scheduled scans
Cons:
May disrupt systems if used carelessly
Commercial version is paid
---
Net-Creds
Net-Creds is a Python tool for extracting credentials, hashes, URLs, and other data from network traffic (live or PCAP files).
Pros:
Identifies services via packet analysis
Easy to use
Extracts credentials (FTP, SMTP, NTLM, HTTP, etc.)
---
NetworkMiner
NetworkMiner is similar to Net-Creds but more feature-rich, including file extraction (e.g., via SMB). It also has a GUI.
Pros:
Graphical interface
Data visualization and classification
Cons:
Limited functionality in free version
---
mitm6
mitm6 performs IPv6-based attacks (SLAAC). Since IPv6 is enabled by default in many systems, attackers can spoof DNS via Router Advertisement.
Pros:
Effective in default Windows environments
---
Responder
Responder is used for spoofing name resolution protocols (LLMNR, NetBIOS, MDNS). Essential for Active Directory attacks.
Pros:
Multiple built-in servers (SMB, HTTP, LDAP, etc.)
NTLM capture and relay support
DNS spoofing
Passive analysis mode
Hash compatibility with cracking tools
Cons:
Port conflicts on Windows (e.g., port 445)
---
Evil_Foca
Evil_Foca is a tool for network attacks in IPv4 and IPv6 environments.
Pros:
MITM attacks (ARP spoofing, DHCP, SLAAC)
DoS capabilities
DNS hijacking
User-friendly GUI
Cons:
Windows-only
---
Bettercap
Bettercap is a powerful network attack and analysis framework supporting wired, wireless, BLE, and more.
Pros:
Credential sniffing
Built-in MITM attacks
Modular proxy
HTTP server
Scriptable (caplets)
Cons:
Some modules Linux-only
---
gateway_finder
A Python script for discovering potential gateways in a network.
Pros:
Simple and customizable
Useful for segmentation testing
---
mitmproxy
mitmproxy is an open-source tool for intercepting and analyzing SSL/TLS traffic.
Pros:
Supports multiple protocols
Python API
Transparent proxy mode
Cons:
Non-standard dump format
---
SIET
SIET exploits the Cisco Smart Install protocol to gain control over devices.
Pros:
Can modify configs, upload firmware, execute commands
Cons:
Limited to certain Cisco devices
Requires network proximity or public IP
---
yersinia
Yersinia is a framework for Layer 2 attacks.
Pros:
Attacks protocols like STP, CDP, DHCP, HSRP
Cons:
Not very user-friendly
---
proxychains
Proxychains routes application traffic through SOCKS proxies.
Pros:
Enables proxy usage for apps that don’t support it
---
Conclusion
In this article, we briefly reviewed the key tools for internal network pentesting, along with their pros and cons.
Stay tuned for more digests—we plan to cover web, databases, mobile apps, and more.
Feel free to share your favorite tools!
