🛠️ Essential Tools for Cybersecurity & Bug Bounty

Whether you're doing recon, fuzzing, or exploitation, tools are a big part of your workflow. Here’s a breakdown of the most-used tools across different stages of hacking.

🔍 Reconnaissance

• subfinder – Subdomain enumeration from passive sources.
• amass – Comprehensive passive & active subdomain enumeration.
• assetfinder – Quickly find subdomains related to a domain.
• httpx – Probes for working HTTP/S servers.
• waybackurls / gau – Find historical URLs via Wayback Machine & other sources.

🧪 Fuzzing & Discovery

• ffuf – Fast web fuzzer for directories, parameters, headers, etc.
• dirsearch – Directory brute-forcing tool written in Python.
• ParamSpider – Finds hidden parameters on web apps.
• Dalfox – XSS scanning and fuzzing tool.

🌐 Web Proxy & Manual Testing

• Burp Suite – The #1 tool for web app testing, used for intercepting, modifying, and analyzing requests.
• Postman – Excellent for API testing, works well with REST and GraphQL endpoints.
• Browser DevTools – Use the network and console tabs to analyze and manipulate behavior.

🧰 Scanning & Enumeration

• nmap – Network scanning, port discovery, and service identification.
• nikto – Web server scanner for outdated or misconfigured services.
• whatweb / wappalyzer – Fingerprint web technologies and stack.

🧠 Automation & Scripting

• Python – Write custom recon tools, PoCs, and scripts.
• Bash – Automate tool chains and scanning pipelines.
• JS (JavaScript) – Useful for payload creation and DOM-based XSS exploitation.

📋 Wordlists

• SecLists – The most complete collection of wordlists.
• /usr/share/wordlists/ – Kali Linux built-in lists (e.g., `rockyou.txt`).

📦 Useful GitHub Repos

• ProjectDiscovery – Suite of tools including subfinder, httpx, nuclei.
• tomnomnom – Creator of many essential Go-based recon tools.
• ParamSpider

⚙️ Browser Extensions

• HackTools – Payload helper inside DevTools.
• Wappalyzer – Identify technologies used on websites.
• ModHeader – Modify request headers on the fly.
• Shodan Plugin – Quick lookup of server details.

🔐 Passwords & Hashes

• hash-identifier – Identify hash types.
• John the Ripper – Password cracker for many formats.
• Hydra – Bruteforcing credentials over various protocols.

🎓 Want to see these tools in action?

Check out tutorials under Guides or jump into CTFs to apply your tools on real labs.