10 Popular Most Common Ethical Hacking Tools 2021, 10 Popular Most Common Ethical Hacking Too, Free Ethical Hacking Tools For Beginners

Introduction :

Due to the advancement in technology, there are several ways a person who uses a computer can be exploited if he/she is not aware of the ways they can be exploited. As everything is connected to the network, the damage done can be huge. This post gives a brief description of the different ways of exploitation, which can also be termed as hacking, and methods to defend them. 10 Popular Most Common Ethical Hacking Tools 2021

• Scanners

• Sniffers

• Trojan Horse

• Spoofing

• DoS Tools

• DDoS

• Malicious Applets

• Password Crackers

• Logic Bombs

• Buffer Overflow

We shall now learn about all the above in detail.

Read More : 100 Brilliant General Knowledge Question With Answer

Scanners

As the name indicates, this tool scans the network. In other words, it obtains information about the host or a network.They can be subdivided into network auditing tools and host-based auditing tools. Network auditing tools will scan the remote networks while host-based tools are used to scan a local host and report its security vulnerabilities.

Sniffing Tools

Sniffing refers to the act of intercepting TCP packets. A packet sniffer is a utility that allows individuals to capture data as it is transmitted over a network. Usually this utility is used by network professionals to help diagnose network issues, but malicious users use this to get the username and password of the system user. This method is also known as eavesdropping.These tools sniff the data, i.e. monitor all the data and logs. The logs contain an Username/Password pair which the intruder can use to enter the system.A type of sniffer that monitors a user’s activities by snooping on a terminal emulator session is called a snooper or spyware.

Defense Methods:

• Internet Security (Antivirus): This is the basic method to prevent sniffers from exploitation. Antivirus programs help to detect this threat early and it helps in taking measures to counter the sniffers.
• HTTPS: Using HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) protocol is secured. It won’t reveal the passwords or any data in cookies.
• VPN/SSH: Using VPN (Virtual Private Network) or SSH (Secure Shell) tunnels will encrypt the data transfer between the user network and server of the web page the user is trying to access.

Trojan Horse

It is a very dangerous tool that breaks the security of the network and is very difficult to detect. It will generally come in the form of an email or a wallpaper and, when opened, the malicious action will start.It will continue working in the background and corrupts important system files. A Trojan horse is a program that is attached to another program. It tricks the user into using it. Once it is opened, it takes full control of the system.It can do minimum or maximum damage, ranging from just changing the desktop wallpaper to deleting files. Though it is similar to a worm, it cannot self-replicate.

Spoofing

Spoofing is the phenomenon in which the intruder hides his identity. The email comes from an unknown email id or an unknown IP address (Spoofed IP address) and does not give any clue about the person sending it.The spoofing tools also gain access to a particular host or a network from outside if the firewall is not properly configured.Spoofing is the act of impersonating a person or program as another by falsifying data and thereby gaining an illegal advantage. There are several types of spoofing. Some of them are:

• IP Spoofing

• Caller ID Spoofing

• Email Address Spoofing

• GPS Spoofing

Defense Methods:

• Packet Filtering: This method helps to prevent IP Spoofing. Usually two filtering processes, Ingress and Egress filtering , take place in this. Ingress filtering helps to filter incoming packets with false data. Egress Filtering helps in filtering the outgoing packets and checks whether the outgoing packets carry only the data required and nothing more.

• Spam Filters: Using spam filters reduces email spoofing considerably. By noting the email id from which the email came, the spam emails can be identified.

DoS Tools

This is an indirect method of hacking. It doesn’t steal any information but prevents the user from performing their tasks.The DoS (Denial of Service) attack allows the hacker to bring down the services of the company’s network system without actually intruding in the system internally. It makes the network unavailable for all the users who are requesting the services. In this attack, a huge amount of traffic is flooded to the network routers so that they can’t handle the incoming requests anymore. Most of the time, it is done by sending emails or TCP packets to the web page’s servers.The hacker mainly wants to stop other users from accessing the network using the Denial of Service technique.

DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)

It is a technique in which multiple network systems, infected with a Trojan horse, are used to attack a network system and disrupt the normal incoming traffic to the web server. It can be done on a temporary basis or for a long duration as well.It is not easy to block this DDoS attack as multiple IP addresses are being used by different network systems attacking it.

Defense Methods :

• IP Address Modification: If the attack is targeted to a specific IP. The target site’s IP address can be modified.
• Black holing: The DoS attacks’ traffic will be redirected to some other address that doesn’t even exist.
• DoS Mitigation: There are DoS mitigation companies that redirect the attackers traffic to their server and do “traffic scrubbing”. After scrubbing the traffic, legitimate users will be given access to the web page.

Malicious Applets

This is a funny technique to hack the information. This tool sends a malicious code by email or any website. The email, once opened, will result in the execution of code automatically and create havoc.This tool is generally used to modify emails on a hard disk, send fake emails, steal passwords and even misuse computer resources.

Password Crackers

As the name suggests, this tool is used to find out the password of the victim. It cracks the password by a three-step formula.First, it tries to guess the password using user information like Date of Birth, Name and other personal details.Second, it guesses the password using all the words in the dictionary.Thirdly, it starts using all the combinations. It will generally take a longer time.

10 Popular Most Common Ethical Hacking Tools 2021

Logic Bombs

It is also a code, and it starts working when it is triggered.It can be triggered by using a specific date, a number of hits, etc.Once it is triggered, it will start doing the malicious activity by changing the system files, deleting system information etc.

Buffer Overflow

In this tool, an attack is started by placing a hefty and bulky data block into the buffer of a program. Thus, it can process a malicious piece of code in order to destroy the memory of the program.The overwritten malicious code will point the address to the wrong place in the system stack and the original return address will no longer work in the program.

What Is Email Hacking ?

How To Hack Facebook Accounts and Password