MicroPower Systems

Keeping your system updated doesn’t have to break your back, or cost an arm and a leg. Stay ahead of the latest threats with these nifty tools, all of which made SecTools.org’s Top 100.

• Wireshark is a popular network protocol analyzer which lets users see data from live networks or from disks. Special features like a display filter language and the ability to browse data at a number of levels makes this a great product, and it is also an Editor’s Choice product at PC Magazine. Version 1.2.9 is now available.
• Metasploit is a free penetration testing resource for researchers and developers to examine the vulnerabilities of their networks. What better way to protect against hackers than to see what they have at their disposal? Version 3.4.0 came out May 18.
• Kismet is a wireless “sniffer” and detector. It captures packets from the data stream and analyzes them for to see if they belong on your network. In addition, it makes it easy to find IP network blocks and can plot wireless networks across a map. Kismet-2010-01-R1 is available now.
• Cain and Abel is a tool for Microsoft which allows recovery of lost or forgotten passwords. It has the ability to crack encrypted passwords as well, using a combination of Dictionary, Brute-Force, and Cryptanalysis tools. This program is constantly being updated and made more efficient. The latest release is version 4.9.36.
• Nikto is an open-source web server scanner, which tests for dangerous files and outdated servers, along with configuration items like redundant index files. This is a comprehensive tool developed by an ex-AOL-and-Apple security programmer, and is currently up to Version 2.1.1.
• Last but not least, OpenSSH provides free versions of the Secure Shell connectivity tools for Unix users. By encrypting all the traffic that passes through the network’s data stream, OpenSSH provides outstanding security and is up to version 5.5.