20 Free Cybersecurity Tools for Enthusiasts!!

If you’re learning security, building labs, or doing light pentesting (only on systems you own or have permission to test), this list gives you 20 free, widely used tools to explore. Each tool name includes a short note on what it’s best for - pick a few and build a mini lab to practice safely.

1. Kali Linux ​

A Debian-based security distro packed with pentest tools. Great as a lab OS or live USB for practice.

2. Wireshark ​

Network protocol analyzer for capturing and inspecting packets - essential for traffic analysis and debugging.

3. Nmap ​

The classic port scanner and host discovery tool. Use it for recon, service detection, and NSE scripting.

4. Burp Suite (Community) ​

Web proxy and toolkit for testing web apps. The free edition is excellent for learning manual web testing.

5. Gophish ​

Open-source phishing toolkit for building safe phishing simulations and security awareness exercises.

6. Aircrack-ng ​

Wireless security suite for Wi-Fi auditing - packet capture, cracking WEP/WPA handshakes in lab environments.

7. Have I Been Pwned? ​

Online service to check if email accounts appeared in public breaches - great for security monitoring.

8. Metasploit Framework ​

Modular exploitation framework used for learning exploitation, payloads, and post-exploitation in controlled labs.

9. Nikto ​

Fast web server scanner that finds common misconfigurations and known vulnerable paths.

10. HackTheBox ​

Hands-on training platform with vulnerable machines and CTF-style challenges - excellent for practical learning.

11. pfSense ​

Open-source firewall/router distribution - perfect for building network segmentation and gateway labs.

12. CyberChef ​

“Cyber Swiss Army Knife” for data transformation, decoding, and forensic analysis - great for quick tasks.

13. Snort ​

Open-source intrusion detection system (IDS) for signature-based detection and logging network threats.

14. Ghidra ​

NSA-released reverse-engineering tool for analyzing binaries and malware in a GUI environment.

15. Dehashed / Deshashed ​

Online services to search leaked credentials and hashes - useful for breach research and incident response.

16. OpenVAS / GVM ​

Full open-source vulnerability scanner and manager for network and host assessments.

17. OSSEC ​

Host-based intrusion detection and log monitoring solution - great for endpoint visibility and alerts.

18. sqlmap ​

Automates detection and exploitation of SQL injection flaws - a powerful tool for testing database security.

19. REMnux ​

A Linux toolkit and VM distribution tailored for malware analysis and reverse engineering workflows.

20. Zed Attack Proxy (ZAP) ​

OWASP ZAP is a free web app security scanner and proxy - a great alternative or complement to Burp.

Quick lab idea to get started ​

1. Boot Kali Linux in a VM.
2. Run Nmap to discover services on an intentionally vulnerable VM.
3. Use Wireshark to capture traffic during a test.
4. Test a web app with Burp or ZAP.
5. Try reversing a sample binary with Ghidra or analyze malware in REMnux.