Python programming is a Friendly Language for Beginners and Security Experts. Let’s explore why Python is so important and how it benefits both beginners and security experts.
Why Is Python Programming Important?
Python is like a Swiss Army knife for coding. Here’s why:
- Web Development: Python powers the hidden parts of websites (the back-end) for big names like Instagram and Netflix. It’s like the engine behind the scenes.
- Data Science and Machine Learning: Python helps analyze data, build smart algorithms, and create artificial intelligence.
- Automation: Python can do repetitive tasks automatically, saving time for both programmers and non-programmers.
- Scripting: Think of Python as a magical scriptwriter—it can automate tasks within other programs or systems.
Benefits for Coders
Whether you’re a coding pro or just starting out, Python has your back:
- Productivity Boost: Python’s clean style lets you write better code faster.
- Quick Prototyping: Need to test an idea? Python is perfect for trying things out before diving deep.
- Community Support: A huge Python community means you’ll find help and resources whenever you need them.
How Python Helps Security Experts
Security folks, listen up! Python is your secret weapon:
- Automating Security: Python can handle repetitive security tasks like scanning for vulnerabilities or detecting intrusions.
- Custom Scripts: Write your own scripts to automate security tests and analyze data.
- Penetration Testing: Python’s libraries (like Metasploit and Scapy) are essential for ethical hacking. You can simulate cyber attacks and check for weaknesses.
Here we have explained and provided few of the best Python suits used in Security Industry for different-different applications including an open-source automation framework for web applications.
The Following post will help to find vulnerability research, reverse engineering and penetration testing.
Network
- Scapy: send, sniff and dissect and forge network packets. Usable interactively or as a library
- libdnet: low-level networking routines, including interface lookup and Ethernet frame transmission
- dpkt: fast, simple packet creation/parsing, with definitions for the basic TCP/IP protocols
- flowgrep: grep through packet payloads using regular expressions
- Knock Subdomain Scan, enumerate subdomains on a target domain through a wordlist
- SubBrute, fast subdomain enumeration tool
- Pytbull: flexible IDS/IPS testing framework (shipped with more than 300 tests)
Debugging and Reverse engineering
- Paimei: reverse engineering framework, includes PyDBG, PIDA, pGRAPH
- Immunity Debugger: scriptable GUI and command line debugger
- mona.py: PyCommand for Immunity Debugger that replaces and improves on pvefindaddr
- IDAPython: IDA Pro plugin that integrates the Python programming language, allowing scripts to run in IDA Pro
- PyEMU: fully scriptable IA-32 emulator, useful for malware analysis
- pefile: read and work with Portable Executable (aka PE) files
- pydasm: Python interface to the libdasm x86 disassembling library
- PyDbgEng: Python wrapper for the Microsoft Windows Debugging Engine
- diStorm: disassembler library for AMD64, licensed under the BSD license
- python-ptrace: debugger using ptrace (Linux, BSD and Darwin system call to trace processes) written in Python
- vdb / vtrace: vtrace is a cross-platform process debugging API implemented in python, and vdb is a debugger which uses it
- Androguard: reverse engineering and analysis of Android applications
- Capstone: lightweight multi-platform, multi-architecture disassembly framework with Python bindings
- PyBFD: Python interface to the GNU Binary File Descriptor (BFD) library
Fuzzing
- Sulley: fuzzer development and fuzz testing framework consisting of multiple extensible components
- Peach Fuzzing Platform: extensible fuzzing framework for generation and mutation based fuzzing (v2 was written in Python)
- antiparser: fuzz testing and fault injection API
- TAOF, (The Art of Fuzzing) including ProxyFuzz, a man-in-the-middle non-deterministic network fuzzer
- untidy: general purpose XML fuzzer
- Powerfuzzer: highly automated and fully customizable web fuzzer (HTTP protocol based application fuzzer)
- SMUDGE
- Mistress: probe file formats on the fly and protocols with malformed data, based on pre-defined patterns
- Fuzzbox: multi-codec media fuzzer
- Forensic Fuzzing Tools: generate fuzzed files, fuzzed file systems, and file systems containing fuzzed files in order to test the robustness of forensics tools and examination systems
- Windows IPC Fuzzing Tools: tools used to fuzz applications that use Windows Interprocess Communication mechanisms
- WSBang: perform automated security testing of SOAP based web services
- Construct: library for parsing and building of data structures (binary or textual). Define your data structures in a declarative manner
- fuzzer.py (feliam): simple fuzzer by Felipe Andres Manzano
Forensics
- Volatility: extract digital artifacts from volatile memory (RAM) samples
- LibForensics: library for developing digital forensics applications
- TrIDLib, identify file types from their binary signatures. Now includes Python binding
- aft: Android forensic toolkit
Malware Analysis
- pyew: command line hexadecimal editor and disassembler, mainly to analyze malware
- Exefilter: filter file formats in e-mails, web pages or files. Detects many common file formats and can remove active content
- jsunpack-n, generic JavaScript unpacker: emulates browser functionality to detect exploits that target browser and browser plugin vulnerabilities
- yara-python: identify and classify malware samples
- phoneyc: pure Python honeyclient implementation
Web
- Requests: elegant and simple HTTP library, built for human beings
- HTTPie: human-friendly cURL-like command line HTTP client
- ProxMon: processes proxy logs and reports discovered issues
- WSMap: find web service endpoints and discovery files
- Twill: browse the Web from a command-line interface. Supports automated Web testing
- Ghost.py: webkit web client written in Python
- Windmill: web testing tool designed to let you painlessly automate and debug your web application
- FunkLoad: functional and load web tester
- spynner: Programmatic web browsing module for Python with Javascript/AJAX support
- python-spidermonkey: bridge to the Mozilla SpiderMonkey JavaScript engine; allows for the evaluation and calling of Javascript and functions
- mitmproxy: SSL-capable, intercepting HTTP proxy. Console interface allows traffic flows to be inspected and edited on the fly
- pathod / pathoc: pathological daemon/client for tormenting HTTP clients and servers
- Didier Stevens’ PDF tools: analyse, identify and create PDF files (includes PDFiD, pdf-parser andmake-pdf and mPDF)
- Opaf: Open PDF Analysis Framework. Converts PDF to an XML tree that can be analyzed and modified.
- Origapy: Python wrapper for the Origami Ruby module which sanitizes PDF files
- PDFMiner: extract text from PDF files
- python-poppler-qt4: Python binding for the Poppler PDF library, including Qt4 support
Misc
- RevHosts: enumerate virtual hosts for a given IP address
- PyMangle: command line tool and a python library used to create word lists for use with other penetration testing tools
- py-mangle: command line tool and a python library used to create word lists for use with other penetration testing tools
Other useful libraries and tools
- iPython: enhanced interactive Python shell with many features for object introspection, system shell access, and its own special command system
- Beautiful Soup: HTML parser optimized for screen-scraping
- matplotlib: make 2D plots of arrays
- Mayavi: 3D scientific data visualization and plotting
- RTGraph3D: create dynamic graphs in 3D
- Twisted: event-driven networking engine
- Suds: lightweight SOAP client for consuming Web Services
- NetworkX: graph library (edges, nodes)
- Pandas: library providing high-performance, easy-to-use data structures and data analysis tools
- pyparsing: general parsing module
- lxml: most feature-rich and easy-to-use library for working with XML and HTML in the Python language
- Pexpect: control and automate other programs, similar to Don Libes `Expect` system
- PyQt and PySide: Python bindings for the Qt application framework and GUI library
Books
- Violent Python by TJ O’Connor. A Cookbook for Hackers, Forensic Analysts, Penetration Testers and Security Engineers
- Grey Hat Python by Justin Seitz: Python Programming for Hackers and Reverse Engineers.
- Black Hat Python by Justin Seitz
- Python for Secret Agents by Steven F. Lott. Analyze, encrypt, and uncover intelligence data using Python
- usil: Python library used to write fuzzing programs