Because every user has access to the respective computer code, can audit what the code does, and can alter the code to match unique requirements, open-source software is a fast-increasing business. The whole open-source market is expected to reach $21.6 billion in 2020, then rise by more than 30% by 2020, reaching close to $33 billion annually.
- Open Source Software Market Size
- Statista is the source for this information.
Open-source software has a substantial market share for cybersecurity technologies. Numerous free open-source cybersecurity applications meet enterprise-grade security software criteria.
Unfortunately, many free open source security tools do not have all of the features of their premium counterparts. Many newbies to cybersecurity start with the free versions to learn and practice before investing in the full versions.
Many of the tools work as intended, and you or a third-party software developer can tweak the programming code to match your individual needs and objectives.
Small and midsize businesses will frequently employ a combination of free and commercial open source solutions to strengthen their cyber security and customize the solution to secure their digital assets and networks based on their specific business demands.
This review’s open-source cybersecurity software tools are organized alphabetically:
Kali Linux
Kali Linux is a Debian-based open-source Linux distribution that includes a wide range of free software, cyber security utilities, and penetration testing tools.
It’s one of the few hacking-focused Linux distributions that include reconnaissance and payload delivery tools, as well as a variety of additional penetration-testing utilities.
WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) is a feature of Kali that lets users run Linux executable files from a Windows 10 system.
The Kali OS runs on Android and supports embedded devices including the Raspberry Pi, Beaglebone, Odroid, HP, and Samsung Chromebooks.
KeePass
KeePass is a password manager that stores passwords securely and is free and open source. Users can keep their unique passwords for websites, email accounts, web servers, and network access credentials in one location using this security solution.
KeePass stores passwords in a secure database that can only be accessed by entering a single master key. The most secure encryption algorithms known are AES-256, ChaCha20, and Twofish, which are used to encrypt databases. It encrypts the entire database, which implies that user names, notes, and password fields are all encrypted.
Framework for Metasploit
Metasploit Framework is an offensive vulnerability testing and exploitation tool that you may use to test your systems for known and open vulnerabilities.
This open-source security application aids in the division of the penetration testing workflow into manageable pieces, as well as the creation of custom workflows.
It’s also a network port scanning and auditing tool, checking about 250 ports that are often exposed to external services. To locate related exploits, an auto-exploitation mechanism cross-references open services, vulnerability references, and fingerprints.
Nikto is a free and open-source web server scanner that checks for numerous vulnerabilities on web servers. Over 6,700 potentially hazardous files/programs are tested, and over 1,250 servers are checked for outdated versions. On over 270 servers, the webserver scanner detects version-specific issues.
Users can also run checks for issues with server settings, such as multiple index files and HTTP server options. Installed web servers and software are also identified by this open-source security tool.
Nmap
Network Mapper (Nmap) is a penetration testing and security auditing tool. It detects vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and security concerns in-network services using NSE scripts.
Before beginning a security audit, Nmap maps the network and ports and then uses the scripts to find any recognizable security issues. The software gathers raw data before determining a host type, operating system (OS), and all available hosts on the network.
Nmap may also be used by network managers to conduct activities such as network inventory, service update schedules, and uptime monitoring.
Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X are all supported by the open-source security utility. It’s made for scanning big networks, although it may also be used to scan single hosts.
OpenVAS
OpenVAS is a free, open-source, full-featured vulnerability scanner. Users can test different high-level and low-level Internet and industrial protocols both unauthenticated and authenticated.
This program also allows you to fine-tune the performance of large-scale scans. By utilizing the internal programming language, users can execute any type of vulnerability test.
OSSEC is an open-source, scalable, and multi-platform Host-based Intrusion Detection System (HIDS) that its designers intend to keep free indefinitely.
Use OSSEC to defend servers on-premises and in the cloud, or as a log analysis tool to monitor and analyze firewalls, IDSs, web servers, and authentication logs.
Using firewall policies, integration with third parties such as CDNs, and support portals, OSSEC can survive cyber-attacks and system updates in real-time. Self-healing capabilities are included, as well as application and system-level audits for compliance with a variety of industry standards, including PCI-DSS and CIS.
Onion of Security
Security Onion is a Linux distribution based on Debian for threat detection, enterprise security monitoring, and log management. Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana, Snort, Suricata, Zeek, OSSEC, Wazuh, Sguil, Squirt, NetworkMiner, and other security technologies are used to safeguard a company from cyber threats.
It’s a comprehensive open source security solution that gives users a variety of tools for detecting threats and monitoring their systems.
VeraCrypt
VeraCrypt is a disc encryption security tool. It operates on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux and generates an encrypted virtual disc within a file before mounting it like a real disc.
Before dumping data to the cloud or elsewhere, this program encrypts a whole partition (file storage disc) or storage devices such as a USB flash drive or hard drive. Pre-boot authentication can also be achieved by encrypting a partition or drive on which the Windows operating system is installed.
VeraCrypt encrypts data in real-time and works with hidden storage and operating systems.
Wireshark
Wireshark is a network protocol analysis tool that is both free and open source. This cybersecurity tool allows security professionals to see network traffic at a microscopic level, dump single packets, check packet format and detect network vulnerabilities in this manner.
It runs on a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, macOS, Solaris, FreeBSD, and NetBSD, and allows for in-depth analysis of hundreds of protocols. Wireshark provides both live and offline data collection and analysis, as well as decryption for a variety of protocols, including IPsec, ISAKMP, Kerberos, SNMPv3, SSL/TLS, WEP, and WPA/WPA2.
