Essential CTF Toolkit
toolsbeginner
The must-have tools for every CTF category, organized by use case.
toolspwntoolsghidrawiresharkcyberchefbinwalkgdb
Essential CTF Toolkit
A curated map of tools organized by category. Every tool here has earned its place through consistent usefulness across real CTF challenges.
First-Time Setup
Install System Tools
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y \
python3 python3-pip git curl wget gdb \
wireshark tshark binwalk exiftool steghide \
foremost scalpel sleuthkit radare2 \
sqlmap ffuf gobuster nmap strace ltrace \
upx-ucl patchelfInstall Python Libraries
pip3 install pwntools pycryptodome gmpy2 z3-solver \
requests beautifulsoup4 sympy randcrack \
volatility3 jwt_tool ROPgadgetInstall Ruby Tools
gem install zsteg one_gadgetInstall GDB Plugin
# GEF (recommended)
bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://gef.blah.cat/sh)"Install Ghidra
sudo apt install -y openjdk-17-jdk
# Download from https://ghidra-sre.org/ and unzipTools by Category
| Tool | Install | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| CyberChef | Browser | Encode/decode/transform anything |
| Python 3 | apt install python3 | Scripting exploits and solvers |
| pwntools | pip3 install pwntools | Exploit dev, binary interaction |
| file | built-in | Identify unknown file types |
| strings | built-in | Extract printable strings from binaries |
| xxd / hexdump | built-in | Hex inspection of any file |
| binwalk | apt install binwalk | Find embedded files/data |
| exiftool | apt install exiftool | Read/write metadata in any file |
Start minimal
Don't install everything at once. For your first CTF, you only need: pwntools, binwalk, exiftool, GDB+GEF, and a browser with CyberChef.
Last updated on