Must-Have Tools for Cybersecurity Researchers: A Complete Installation Guide

1. Burp Suite

• Purpose: Web vulnerability scanner and exploitation tool.
• Installation:
• Download: Visit PortSwigger’s official site and download the Community or Professional version.
• Install:

On Windows, run the .exe file and follow the installation wizard.

On Linux, open a terminal and execute chmod +x burpsuite_community_vX.X.sh followed by ./burpsuite_community_vX.X.sh.

On macOS, double-click the .dmg file and drag Burp Suite to the Applications folder.

• Usage Tips: Begin with passive scanning to identify potential issues without triggering active defenses. Burp Suite offers robust features like Proxy, Intruder, and Repeater for targeted testing.

2. OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy)

• Purpose: Open-source web application security scanner.
• Installation:
• Download: Go to OWASP ZAP’s website and download the appropriate version for your OS.
• Install:

On Windows, run the installer.

On Linux, run sudo apt install zaproxy if you’re using Ubuntu, or download the .tar file for other distributions.

On macOS, you can install it using brew install owasp-zap.

• Usage Tips: Use the “Quick Start” tab for an initial scan, and the “Automated Scan” feature to identify common vulnerabilities quickly.

3. Nmap (Network Mapper)

• Purpose: Network scanning and vulnerability detection.
• Installation:
• Download: Available at Nmap’s official site.
• Install:

On Windows, run the installer .exe file.

On Linux, use sudo apt install nmap on Debian-based systems or sudo yum install nmap on Red Hat-based systems.

On macOS, use brew install nmap.

• Usage Tips: Start with nmap -sS target_ip for a stealthy scan. Use nmap -A target_ip to get detailed OS, version detection, and traceroute information.

4. Nikto

• Purpose: Web server vulnerability scanner.
• Installation:
• Download: Nikto is available on GitHub.
• Install:

Make sure you have Perl installed (perl -v to check).

Clone the repository with git clone https://github.com/sullo/nikto.git and navigate into the folder with cd nikto.

Run Nikto with perl nikto.pl -h target_ip.

• Usage Tips: Use nikto -h <target-ip> to perform a basic scan. Nikto is particularly good at detecting outdated server software and common misconfigurations.

5. SQLmap

• Purpose: Detects and exploits SQL injection vulnerabilities.
• Installation:
• Download: Get SQLmap from its GitHub page.
• Install:

Clone the repository with git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/sqlmapproject/sqlmap.git sqlmap-dev.

Run it by navigating to the folder and executing python3 sqlmap.py.

• Usage Tips: Start with sqlmap -u "http://target.com/page?id=1" to test for basic SQL injection vulnerabilities.

6. Metasploit Framework

• Purpose: Exploitation framework with a large library of exploits.
• Installation:
• Download: Visit Metasploit’s download page or use package managers.
• Install:

On Linux, use curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/master/msfupdate | bash or install from your package manager.

On Windows, download the installer from the website.

On macOS, install with brew install metasploit.

• Usage Tips: Start the console with msfconsole. You can search exploits by using search exploit_name and select them with use exploit_path.

7. Recon-ng

• Purpose: Reconnaissance and information-gathering tool.
• Installation:
• Download: Obtain it from Recon-ng GitHub page.
• Install:

Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/lanmaster53/recon-ng.git.

Run it by navigating into the directory and executing ./recon-ng.

• Usage Tips: Use modules load to list available modules, which are useful for passive information gathering, especially in OSINT-based engagements.