Responder vs RouterSploit: Which Risk Assessment & Compliance tool is Best in 2025?

Responder is a robust, open-source tool designed for network penetration testing, specializing in Link-Local Multicast Name Resolution (LLMNR), NetBIOS Name Service (NBT-NS), and Multicast DNS (mDNS) poisoning. Pre-installed on Kali Linux, Responder enables cybersecurity professionals and ethical hackers to intercept network authentication requests, capture NTLM hashes, and perform man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks by mimicking legitimate servers. Developed by Laurent Gaffié, it targets Windows environments where LLMNR and NBT-NS are enabled by default, making it a powerful tool for credential harvesting and network security assessments.

RouterSploit is a powerful open-source framework pre-installed in Kali Linux (version 3.4.7), tailored for penetration testers and cybersecurity professionals. This embedded device exploitation tool for penetration testing targets routers, IoT devices, and cameras, making it a leading router vulnerability scanner for ethical hacking. With a 2.22 MB footprint and modules for exploits, credential brute-forcing, and scanning, RouterSploit simplifies security assessments of devices from brands like D-Link and Netgear.