15 Open-Source Network Security & Pentest Tools (GitHub Stars 2026)

The most-starred open-source network security and pentest tools on GitHub - packet analysis, scanning, recon, MITM and credential testing.

By The DevFixPro Editorial Team · independent editorial research project

Star counts retrieved from the GitHub API on 2026-08-17. Open-source projects grow daily, so treat the numbers as a snapshot — always check the linked repository for the latest figures, license, and activity.

Network security work runs on a tight set of open-source tools. This list ranks 15 of the most popular open-source network security and pentest tools by GitHub stars (fetched 2026-08-17) - from packet analysis and port scanning to recon, MITM and password cracking.

  1. 1Wireshark on GitHub
    Wireshark9,730
    By Wireshark

    World's leading network protocol analyzer for deep packet inspection.

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  2. 2Nmap on GitHub
    Nmap13,368
    By Nmap

    Network discovery and security auditing port scanner.

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  3. 3Masscan on GitHub
    Masscan25,930
    By Robert Graham

    TCP port scanner that transmits at the speed of a SYN flood.

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  4. 4mitmproxy on GitHub
    mitmproxy44,717
    By mitmproxy

    Interactive HTTPS proxy for intercepting, inspecting and replaying traffic.

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  5. 5Bettercap on GitHub
    Bettercap19,812
    By Bettercap

    Swiss-army tool for network attacks, monitoring and MITM.

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  6. 6Amass on GitHub
    Amass14,985
    By OWASP

    In-depth attack-surface mapping and asset discovery via recon.

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  7. 7ffuf on GitHub
    ffuf16,534
    By ffuf

    Fast web fuzzer for discovering endpoints, vhosts and parameters.

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  8. 8subfinder on GitHub
    subfinder14,214
    By ProjectDiscovery

    Passive subdomain discovery from many sources.

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  9. 9httpx on GitHub
    httpx10,285
    By ProjectDiscovery

    Fast HTTP probing to verify live hosts and tech stack.

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  10. 10Impacket on GitHub
    Impacket16,000
    By Fortra

    Python classes for working with network protocols and getting shells.

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  11. 11BloodHound on GitHub
    BloodHound10,602
    By BloodHoundAD

    Map Active Directory attack paths with graph analysis.

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  12. 12Responder on GitHub
    Responder6,543
    By lgandx

    LLMNR/NBT-NS/mDNS poisoner for credential capture on a network.

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  13. 13aircrack-ng on GitHub
    aircrack-ng7,500
    By Aircrack-ng

    Suite for assessing Wi-Fi network security (capture and crack).

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  14. 14Hashcat on GitHub
    Hashcat26,558
    By Hashcat

    World's fastest password recovery and cracking tool.

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  15. 15Thc-Hydra on GitHub
    Thc-Hydra12,159
    By THC

    Parallelized login cracker supporting many protocols and services.

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