Top 10 tools every ethical hacker should master

As an ethical hacker, having the right tools in your arsenal is crucial. Here are the top 10 tools every security professional should master: 1. Nmap: The go-to tool for network discovery and security auditing. It's essential for footprinting and scanning phases. 2. Metasploit: A powerful penetration testing framework that helps develop and execute exploit code against remote targets. 3. Wireshark: The world's foremost network protocol analyzer. Essential for sniffing network traffic and analyzing packets. 4. Burp Suite: An integrated platform for performing security testing of web applications. Its proxy, scanner, and intruder tools are invaluable. 5. John the Ripper: A fast password cracker that supports various encryption technologies. Essential for testing password strength. 6. Aircrack-ng: A complete suite of tools to assess WiFi network security. Includes tools for monitoring, attacking, testing, and cracking. 7. SQLMap: An open-source penetration testing tool that automates the process of detecting and exploiting SQL injection flaws. 8. Nikto: A web server scanner that performs comprehensive tests against web servers for multiple vulnerabilities. 9. OWASP ZAP: An open-source web application security scanner that helps you automatically find security vulnerabilities in your web applications. 10. Hashcat: The world's fastest password cracker, capable of cracking password hashes using various attack modes. Mastering these tools takes time and practice. I recommend setting up your own lab environment to experiment with them safely. What tools would you add to this list? Are there any newer tools that are gaining popularity in the ethical hacking community?