Key figure: The global average cost of a data breach was $4.44 million in 2025 (IBM, Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025).
A security toolkit picker matches tools to your threat model. Cybersecurity news moves fast — take the 2-minute quiz to find your 16 free tools.
Cybersecurity news is a firehose of new tools, and most teams default to what they know. This picker flips it: answer questions about your threat model — personal, small business, or enterprise — and get matched to 16 free, vetted tools. Free does not mean weak: several picks outperform paid alternatives for specific jobs. Retake the quiz when your situation changes.
A security toolkit picker matches free security tools to your threat model through a short quiz — instead of a generic list, you get recommendations fitted to whether you're protecting yourself, a small business, or an enterprise.
A cybersecurity quiz built on a viral infographic: the essential open-source security toolkit in four categories: Vulnerability Scanning (OpenVAS, Wapiti, Nikto, Vuls), Penetration Testing (Wireshark, Ettercap, ArpSpoof, NetCat), Mobile Security (Drozer, Androguard, Frida, MobSF) and Reporting & Documentation (Dradis, Faraday, Ghostwriter, PwnDoc). All sixteen are real, free, open-source projects. The quiz below gives you six real scenarios — reach for the right tool each time. Free, no signup.
Six scenarios. In each one, a tool is suggested — answer Yes if it's the right pick for the job.
This self-assessment is informational and for education. Only use security tools on systems you own or have explicit written permission to test.
All sixteen tools from the infographic, each verified as a real open-source project, with a one-line job description.
Yes — every tool in the four categories (OpenVAS, Wapiti, Nikto, Vuls, Wireshark, Ettercap, ArpSpoof, NetCat, Drozer, Androguard, Frida, MobSF, Dradis, Faraday, Ghostwriter, PwnDoc) is an open-source project you can download and run yourself. Exact licenses vary by project (GPL, MIT, Apache and others), so check each repository before commercial use.
Start with one category, not all sixteen. For network visibility, Wireshark is the classic first tool. For quick web checks, Nikto or Wapiti give fast results. For mobile, MobSF automates static and dynamic app analysis. Learn what each category does before collecting tools.
No. Scanners find known issues fast, but a professional pentest adds human methodology: chaining vulnerabilities, testing business logic, social engineering, and prioritising by real business risk. Tools are the starting kit, not the engagement.
Only on systems you own or have explicit written permission to test. Running scanners or interception tools against systems you don't own is illegal in most jurisdictions. Practice in a home lab or on intentionally vulnerable targets instead.
Good cybersecurity quiz questions mirror real tasks — like the 6 scenarios in this picker: which tool scans for vulnerabilities, which captures packets, which analyzes a mobile app. Task-based questions teach tool choice, not trivia.