Nikto

Original author(s)	Chris Sullo
Stable release	2.5.0[1] / December 3, 2023
Written in	Perl HTML roff (software) Dockerfile
Operating system	Unix-like
Available in	English
Type	Vulnerability scanner
License	GNU GPL v2
Website	http://www.cirt.net/Nikto2

Nikto is a free software command-line vulnerability scanner that scans web servers for dangerous files/CGIs, outdated server software and other problems. It performs generic and server type specific checks. It also captures and prints any cookies received. The Nikto code itself is free software, but the data files it uses to drive the program are not.^[2] Version 1.00 was released December 27, 2001.

Features

Nikto can detect over 6700 potentially dangerous files/CGIs, checks for outdated versions of over 1250 servers, and version specific problems on over 270 servers. It also checks for server configuration items such as the presence of multiple index files and HTTP server options, and will attempt to identify installed web servers and software. Scan items and plugins are frequently updated and can be automatically updated.

Variations

There are some variations of Nikto, one of which is MacNikto. MacNikto is an AppleScript GUI shell script wrapper built in Apple's Xcode and Interface Builder, released under the terms of the GPL. It provides easy access to a subset of the features available in the command-line version, installed along with the MacNikto application.^[3][4]