This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by ahmed Awad (Nullc0d3)
“You don’t need 100 tools — you need 5 you know how to use better than the attacker.”
In cybersecurity, most beginners fall into the “tool trap.” They install everything… but master nothing.
After 20+ years of defending networks, investigating breaches, and hunting threats across critical infrastructure and enterprise networks, here’s my truth:
A lean toolkit beats a bloated one — every time.
These 5 tools — straight from Inside the Hacker Hunter’s Toolkit — are battle-tested, free, and powerful enough to level up any SOC analyst, blue teamer, or aspiring hacker hunter.
1. CyberChef — The Analyst’s Swiss Army Knife
Use it to:
Decode base64, hex, JWTs, and obfuscated malware
Slice logs and parse payloads
Reverse engineer C2 commands
Tip: Bookmark your custom “recipes” for repeated use in threat hunting.
https://gchq.github.io/CyberChef/
2. Velociraptor — Forensic Collection at Scale
Built for live response and endpoint hunting, Velociraptor lets you:
Query artifacts across all endpoints
Detect persistence, rogue binaries, and lateral movement
Build custom hunts using VQL
I walk through live scenarios using this tool in my book.
3. BloodHound — Map Active Directory Like an Attacker
Most breaches escalate because of poorly secured AD environments.
BloodHound shows how attackers move laterally through:
Misconfigured trust relationships
Over-permissioned users
Insecure group nesting
Pair it with SharpHound to gather data, then visualize attack paths.
https://github.com/BloodHoundAD/BloodHound
4. Sigma + Sysmon — Your Detection Rule Engine
Most SOCs have tools but no custom logic. That’s where Sigma rules come in.
With Sysmon feeding your SIEM, Sigma can:
Detect script-based attacks
Alert on abnormal parent-child processes
Find behavior-based anomalies
Pair with Sigma Converter to adapt rules to your platform (Splunk, Elastic, etc).
https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma
5. MISP — Threat Intel That Actually Works
Threat intel is only useful if you can manage it. MISP helps you:
Ingest IOCs (indicators of compromise)
Correlate related threats
Automate feed sharing and triage
Used properly, MISP becomes your CTI hub — and integrates easily with other tools in your stack.
Final Advice
“Don’t collect tools. Build workflows.”
The best defenders build repeatable, understandable, and scalable workflows using just a few high-leverage tools.
Want step-by-step walkthroughs, hunting checklists, and real-world use cases? It’s all inside:
Inside the Hacker Hunter’s Toolkit → https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFG7NFY7
Companion Mindset Book → https://a.co/d/gIwvppM
CyberSecurity #BlueTeam #ThreatHunting #SOC #CTI #DFIR #RedTeamTools #FreeTools #AhmedAwad #Nullc0d3 #HackerHunter #CyberTools #CyberChef #BloodHound
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by ahmed Awad (Nullc0d3)