Bug bounty hunting has evolved significantly by 2026 and the tools used by researchers have become more advanced powerful and efficient. Every successful bug bounty hunter relies on a strong toolkit that helps automate reconnaissance discover vulnerabilities validate findings and optimize workflow. The following guide covers the most essential and widely used tools in 2025 for bug bounty hunters from reconnaissance and enumeration to exploitation and reporting
Reconnaissance Tools
Reconnaissance is the foundation of every bug bounty process and modern tools offer powerful capabilities to gather intelligence about the target assets. Tools like Amass are used heavily to discover subdomains using multiple enumeration techniques. Subfinder remains a favorite for fast passive subdomain enumeration with high accuracy. Assetfinder is appreciated for its simplicity and ability to quickly collect domains owned by a company. Shodan and Censys help researchers discover exposed services devices and forgotten assets available on the internet. SecurityTrails is a premium-level platform offering historical DNS and ownership information that helps hunters uncover old assets
Scanning and Enumeration Tools
Once reconnaissance is complete scanning and enumeration are used to map attack surfaces and detect possible vulnerabilities. Nmap continues to be the standard for port scanning and service detection while Naabu is widely used for fast port scanning across large lists of targets. httpx helps confirm which domains are alive and identify HTTP technologies used by the target. Nikto is used for scanning common web vulnerabilities and Misconfigurations. ffuf and Dirsearch are the most popular directory brute forcing tools allowing hunters to discover hidden paths endpoints and files in web applications
Web Application Testing Tools
For web vulnerability discovery web application testing tools are essential. Burp Suite Professional remains the king of web application testing with advanced features like the scanner intruder repeater and extender marketplace. OWASP ZAP remains a strong free alternative with useful automation capabilities. Postman is a key tool for testing APIs and validating requests and responses. Hoppscotch is a lightweight and browser friendly API testing tool favored for speed and ease of use. mitmproxy is widely used for intercepting modifying and analyzing network traffic especially mobile applications
Vulnerability Discovery Tools
New automated frameworks help discover vulnerabilities at scale and speed. Nuclei is one of the most powerful tools for scanning for known vulnerabilities misconfigurations and exposed data using customizable templates. Semgrep is essential for code review allowing hunters to identify security issues inside source code especially in programs offering source access. TruffleHog is the standard for detecting leaked credentials and secrets across GitHub GitLab and repositories. GitLeaks is another major tool for scanning sensitive information in repositories helping hunters discover leaked API keys tokens or private secrets
API Testing and Security Tools
In 2025 APIs remain one of the primary attack vectors. Tools like Burp Suite and Postman offer complete control for testing API endpoints. ReadyAPI provides advanced testing automation especially for enterprise level APIs. Swagger and OpenAPI documentation viewers help hunters understand endpoint structure and security logic. Insomnia is a powerful API client used to send complex requests and analyze API behavior
Cloud and Infrastructure Testing Tools
Cloud targets are increasingly common in bug bounty programs. Tools like ScoutSuite allow hunters to audit cloud environments for misconfigurations across AWS Azure and GCP. CloudEnum helps discover cloud assets such as storage buckets. S3Scanner is used to find exposed or misconfigured S3 buckets. kube-hunter helps identify security weaknesses in Kubernetes clusters
Mobile Application Testing Tools
Mobile applications are an essential part of modern bug bounty programs. Tools like jadx and apktool help hunters reverse engineer Android applications. MobSF is a complete framework offering automated mobile application analysis static and dynamic. Frida and Objection allow runtime manipulation of mobile apps to bypass checks restrictions and discover vulnerabilities
Network and Pentesting Tools
For more advanced programs network testing tools remain essential. Wireshark is used to inspect network packets and discover insecure communication. Responder is common in internal and advanced scenarios detecting weak network protocols. CrackMapExec helps automate penetration tasks across network environments. BloodHound assists in mapping Active Directory relationships and privilege escalation paths
Exploitation Tools
For validating vulnerabilities exploitation frameworks remain powerful. Metasploit is the most used exploitation framework providing payloads modules and development flexibility. sqlmap remains the number one tool for detecting and exploiting SQL injection vulnerabilities. XSStrike and DalFox are strong choices for analyzing and exploiting XSS vulnerabilities. Commix is used for detecting and exploiting command injection vulnerabilities
Automation and Custom Scripting Tools
Bug bounty hunters also rely heavily on automation and scripting. Python and Bash scripts automate workflows scanning and data processing. Go based tools continue dominating the bug bounty space due to their speed and portability. Automation platforms like chaos from ProjectDiscovery allow scaling reconnaissance and scanning across massive attack surfaces
Reporting and Productivity Tools
High quality reporting is essential for successful bug bounty submissions. Tools like Notion and Obsidian help researchers organize notes payloads and findings. Draw io and Excalidraw are used to illustrate attack flows and vulnerability diagrams. Burp Suite’s reporting features and Markdown editors allow clean and professional write ups. Grammarly helps polish the language and improve clarity before submitting a report