The Pentester's Toolbox: Tools Every MSP Should Know

The Pentester's Toolbox

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Pentesting isn’t just a technical exercise—it’s a craft. And like any craft, the quality of the work depends heavily on the tools in the kit. Whether you’re conducting a manual engagement, using an automated platform, or blending both approaches, the right tools can be the difference between a superficial scan and a deep, actionable security assessment. For MSPs, understanding the pentesting toolbox is essential—not just for delivering results, but for evaluating solutions, hiring security talent, and explaining to clients exactly how you’re validating their defenses.

The Pentesting Workflow & Key Tools

As the graphic above shows, a pentest typically moves through several stages, each with its own specialized toolset.

1. Reconnaissance & Asset Discovery

The first phase is all about understanding the target environment, or taking inventory of all the devices on the network. The results from this phase can be retained in a CMDB to keep track of assets down the road. Some open source tools can be useful for this including:

• Nmap – Maps networks and identifies running services

• Shodan – Finds exposed devices on the internet

• Amass – Uncovers subdomains and related infrastructure

  
  

2. Vulnerability Identification

Here, the goal is to find potential weaknesses in the target environment by scanning the target network for vulnerabilities. The output from the vulnerability is quantification of the attack surface(s). Some common tools for this include:

• Nessus – Comprehensive vulnerability scanning

• OpenVAS – Open-source vulnerability management

• Qualys – Cloud-based vulnerability scanning platform

In addition to understanding the potential points of exposure, it is important to understand the risk, based on threat intelligence of which vulnerabilities are being actively exploited versus those which may not have an associated exploit.

3. Exploitation

The next phase is where you make your money. Automated pentesting tests the attack surface found in the preceding stage to determine which of the discovered vulnerabilities can be safely exploited. This is the so-called proof in the pudding. Any exploited vulnerabilities are proof positive that an adversary would succeed to a quantifiable extent in penetrating the network. These vulnerabilities must be remediated immediately. Some common tools for pentesting include:

• Metasploit Framework – Exploit development and execution

• SQLmap – Automated SQL injection exploitation

• Responder – Captures credentials in Windows environments

4. Post-Exploitation & Lateral Movement

Once inside, the objective is to simulate attacker behavior for persistence and pivoting. This stage is for more advanced pentesters who are able to leverage that initial exploitation on a beach head machine and then find further targets of interest. A common approach is simply to repeat steps 1 through 3 from behind the firewall to find targets of opportunity and then exploit, wash, rinse repeat. A more organized approach is to begin with a target device (eg Active Directory server, back-up storage) and chain together a set of exploits and devices to get to the target machine. Some other tools that can be helpful here include:

• Cobalt Strike – Adversary simulation platform

• Empire – PowerShell-based post-exploitation

• BloodHound – Active Directory attack path analysis

5. Web Application Testing

Web application testing forms its own category of pentesting as it is often not hosted on the client network, nor is an initial entry vector, but often a target itself for the data and applications it hosts. Testing web applications is typically relatively straight forward because they exist on the internet by definition, unless it is an intranet application. Be sure to obtain permission from the prospect or client before testing any of their networking infrastructure. For web apps, APIs, and portals, some common tools that focus on application-layer vulnerabilities include:

• Burp Suite – Web app proxy and scanner

• OWASP ZAP – Open-source web security testing

6. Reporting & Collaboration

While running all these tools are fine, the findings mean nothing without clear, actionable reporting for your client. For most SMBs, the details in the findings don't matter. What is required is easy to understand risk tables or graphs that are actionable with specific timelines, along with the impact of remediating the findings or conversely the risk of not remediating the findings. A couple of tools that may be helpful for reporting include:

• Dradis – Reporting and collaboration for pentesters

• Faraday – Collaborative vulnerability management platform

However, be sure that your reporting program matches your QBR format for consistency.

Where Automation Fits In

Automated pentesting platforms like ThreatMate integrate many of these capabilities into a single, continuous process. They can handle reconnaissance, vulnerability detection, safe exploitation, and reporting without requiring the MSP to juggle multiple tools. Modern platforms including ThreatMate often include scoring systems like CVSS and EPSS to prioritize vulnerabilities based on real-world exploitability, helping teams focus on the most pressing risks.

Why MSPs Should Care About the Toolbox

You don’t need to master every tool, but you should:

• Understand what each category of tool does

• Recognize when specialized tools are required

• Confirm your automated pentesting platform covers all critical stages

• Be able to explain your process to clients in plain language

Knowing your tools builds confidence—not just in your technical capability, but in your ability to protect your clients effectively and consistently.

In summary, pentesting involves multiple stages and different toolsets to achieve the outcome desired for prospects and clients. This blog provides a decent overview of the tooling that is out there if you would like to do it yourself. ThreatMate provides a single platform from which you can conduct end to end pentesting and vulnerability discovery to find and fix security exposures before the bad guys exploit them. Sign up for a demo today!

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