What Is Pen Test Software and Which Tools Should You Use?
Written by the Rafter Team
Pen test software is any tool that security professionals use to simulate real attacks against systems, networks, and applications. Penetration test software helps you find exploitable vulnerabilities before adversaries do — covering everything from network reconnaissance to web application exploitation. The right combination depends on your attack surface and what you are trying to protect.
Pen test software should only be used against systems you own or have explicit written authorization to test. Unauthorized scanning is illegal in most jurisdictions regardless of intent.
Start continuous security scanning with Rafter — catch code-level vulnerabilities between pen test engagements.
Categories of Pen Test Software
Pen test software falls into four broad categories, each targeting a different layer of your environment.
Network testing tools probe infrastructure for open ports, misconfigurations, and service-level flaws. They map your attack surface and identify entry points that attackers would target first.
Web application testing tools focus on the HTTP layer — authentication, input handling, API endpoints, and session management. They catch injection flaws, broken access controls, and other OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities in running applications.
Social engineering tools test your human defenses. Phishing frameworks and pretexting toolkits measure how well your team resists manipulation-based attacks that bypass technical controls entirely.
Exploitation frameworks chain discovered vulnerabilities into working attacks. They demonstrate real impact — data access, privilege escalation, lateral movement — turning a list of findings into a proof of compromise.
Top Pen Test Software Options
- Metasploit — the most widely used exploitation framework, with thousands of modules for testing known CVEs. Open-source core with a commercial Pro edition for team workflows.
- Burp Suite Professional — the standard intercepting proxy for web application testing. Active scanning, manual testing workflows, and a large extension ecosystem.
- Cobalt Strike — adversary simulation platform focused on post-exploitation, command-and-control, and lateral movement. Used heavily in red team engagements.
- Kali Linux — a complete penetration testing distribution that packages hundreds of tools into a single OS. Includes Nmap, Wireshark, sqlmap, and most of the tools pen testers reach for daily.
Pen Test Software vs Vulnerability Scanners
Pen test software and vulnerability scanners solve different problems. Vulnerability scanners run automated checks and report known weaknesses. Pen test software goes further — it exploits those weaknesses to prove they are real and measures the actual damage an attacker could achieve.
Scanners are fast and repeatable. Pen testing is thorough but time-boxed. You need both. Scanners cover breadth on every commit while pen testers cover depth during periodic engagements.
Where Rafter Fits
You run pen tests quarterly at best. Between engagements, new code ships daily — and every deployment can introduce vulnerabilities that will not be caught until the next test cycle. Rafter fills that gap with continuous static analysis on every pull request. Your pen testers get a cleaner target, your team fixes issues faster, and your security posture stays consistent instead of decaying between assessments.
Add Rafter to your pipeline — find vulnerabilities before your pen testers do.