Kismet vs OWASP ZAP vs CeWL: Which Web Security tool is Best in 2025?

Kismet is a powerful open-source wireless network monitoring tool for ethical hacking integrated into Kali Linux (version 2023.07.R2). As a wireless intrusion detection system for cybersecurity, it detects Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and SDR-based devices, making it a top wireless packet sniffer for penetration testing. With a lightweight 23 KB size and support for tools like kismet_cap_linux_wifi and kismetdb_to_pcap, Kismet empowers security professionals to audit networks effectively.

OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy), developed by OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project), is a versatile, open-source web application security scanner pre-installed on Kali Linux. It is designed for penetration testers, developers, and security enthusiasts to identify vulnerabilities in web applications. Acting as a man-in-the-middle proxy, ZAP intercepts and modifies HTTP/HTTPS traffic, enabling active and passive scanning, fuzzing, and API testing. Its user-friendly GUI, automation framework, and heads-up display (HUD) make it accessible for beginners and powerful for experts. With features like spidering, brute-forcing, and marketplace add-ons, ZAP is ideal for detecting issues like SQL injection, XSS, and CSRF, ensuring robust web security.

CeWL is a versatile open-source tool pre-installed in Kali Linux (version 6.2.1), tailored for cybersecurity professionals and penetration testers. This custom wordlist generator for security audits spider's websites to create tailored wordlists, making it a leading password-cracking preparation tool for ethical hacking. With an 81 KB footprint and features like email extraction and metadata analysis via FAB, CeWL empowers users to craft precise inputs for brute-force attacks, strengthening system security.