[opensourcedex]

hacktheweb is a free, open source ai security & privacy project written in Python and released under MIT. It has 1,311 GitHub stars, 286 forks and 0 open issues, and was last pushed 12 hours ago. On this registry it ranks #30 of 52 tracked projects in AI Security & Privacy, with 5 head-to-head comparisons available.

What is hacktheweb?

HackTheWeb is a Python, MIT-licensed web application penetration testing and vulnerability assessment framework that uses rule-based artificial intelligence to scan web applications for security flaws and generate HTML, PDF, JSON and Markdown reports, written for security professionals and ethical hackers.

What it is

HackTheWeb is a command-line penetration testing framework written in Python 3.8+ and released under the MIT licence, filed in this registry under AI & Machine Learning / AI Security & Privacy. It lives in the Linux security ecosystem, explicitly targeting Kali, Ubuntu, Debian and "all security-focused distros", and it is built on what the README calls rule-based artificial intelligence: scanning is adaptive, but no external ML models are required, so nothing depends on a hosted model or a downloaded weight file. The repository stands at release v1.0.0 with 1,311 stars and 286 forks.

The concrete problem it solves is fragmentation. Rather than assembling separate checks for each vulnerability class, one tool covers XSS, SQL injection, CSRF, SSRF, LFI/RFI, XXE, RCE, IDOR, open redirect, CORS misconfiguration, path traversal, NoSQL injection, LDAP injection, SSTI and HTTP security header validation, drives them asynchronously with rate limiting, and consolidates the results into one severity-classified report mapped to OWASP and CWE with remediation guidance.

Key capabilities

  • Fifteen vulnerability classes are covered, including XSS in reflected, stored and DOM-based forms, SQL injection in error-based, boolean-based, time-based and UNION-based variants, CSRF token validation and cookie analysis, SSRF internal network probing, LFI/RFI, XXE, RCE through command injection, IDOR, open redirect, CORS misconfiguration, path traversal, NoSQL injection against MongoDB, LDAP injection and SSTI.
  • The rule-based AI layer performs smart target analysis with technology stack detection, adaptive scanning that prioritises high-impact vulnerabilities, pattern recognition across scan results, context-aware technology-specific checks and resource optimisation for payload selection.
  • Findings are exported in HTML, PDF, JSON and Markdown, classified as Critical, High, Medium, Low or Info, and annotated with OWASP and CWE mapping, remediation guidance, and charts and statistics.
  • Structured JSON logging is designed for Splunk, ELK and other SIEM log collectors, and is paired with fingerprinting output.
  • Scanning is asynchronous with rate limiting, and the terminal interface is built on Rich with real-time progress reporting.
  • The tool targets security-focused Linux distributions, with Kali, Ubuntu and Debian named in the README.

Who uses it and how

  • Security professionals and ethical hackers conducting authorised penetration tests of web applications, the audience the README names, use a single tool instead of a stack of separate scanners.
  • Red teams, as indicated by the repository's red-team and ethical-hacking topics, rely on adaptive scanning that surfaces high-impact issues first.
  • Security operations teams collect the native JSON logs through Splunk or ELK and use the fingerprinting output to enrich SIEM data.
  • Consultants and in-house testers hand over the HTML and PDF reports, which carry severity, OWASP and CWE mapping and remediation guidance for developers and clients.
  • Teams already standardised on Kali or another security distribution already meet the Linux-only platform requirement.

Getting started

Installation is documented in the README's Installation section and targets Python 3.8+ on Linux. The v1.0.0 release is published on the GitHub releases page, and the project website at yashabcyber7.github.io/hacktheweb serves as the hosted entry point.

How it compares

No paid products and no similar tools are named in the facts supplied for this entry, so HackTheWeb stands alone in this registry. What distinguishes it within those facts is the combination of fifteen vulnerability classes, MIT licensing, OWASP and CWE-mapped reporting and SIEM-ready JSON logs in one Python package.

When to use it — and when not to

Choose it when testing happens from Kali, Ubuntu or Debian and the team wants one MIT-licensed tool covering fifteen vulnerability classes with OWASP-mapped, SIEM-friendly output. It is Linux-only and requires Python 3.8+, so teams standardised on Windows or macOS need a Linux environment, and because the intelligence is rule-based rather than learned, findings are bounded by the built-in checks and payloads. The README also prominently carries a Solana token contract address, which is atypical for a security tool and worth verifying before adoption, and the active exploitation-style tests it runs make it unsuitable where only passive observation is permitted.

project readme (upstream, from github) — read inline

HackTheWeb



Live Website Release CA License Python Platform

AI-Powered Web Application Penetration Testing Framework

Automated security testing with intelligent decision-making

Website • Features • Installation • Usage • Documentation

🪙 Official Token Contract Address (CA)

[!IMPORTANT] Official Contract Address (Solana):

4ZF1MBuTcMty196BDiBfvUAxm2VAzPUReVDtpR9Wpump

• Network: Solana (pump.fun)
• Security Notice: Always verify the contract address matches this official repository. Never trust unverified third parties.

🎯 Overview

HackTheWeb is a production-ready, AI-powered web application penetration testing tool designed for security professionals and ethical hackers. It uses rule-based artificial intelligence (no external ML models required) to intelligently scan web applications for vulnerabilities, adapt scanning strategies, and generate comprehensive security reports.

Key Highlights

  • 🤖 AI-Powered: Intelligent scanning with adaptive algorithms
  • 🚀 Production-Ready: Fully functional and battle-tested
  • 🔧 No ML Models: Pure rule-based AI - no external dependencies
  • 🐧 Linux Optimized: Works on Kali, Ubuntu, Debian, and all security-focused distros
  • 📊 Comprehensive Reporting: HTML, PDF, JSON, and Markdown reports
  • ⚡ Fast & Efficient: Asynchronous scanning with rate limiting
  • 🎨 Beautiful CLI: Rich terminal interface with real-time progress

✨ Features

Vulnerability Scanning

  • XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) - Reflected, Stored, and DOM-based ✅
  • SQL Injection - Error-based, Boolean-based, Time-based, UNION-based ✅
  • CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) - Token validation and cookie analysis ✅
  • SSRF (Server-Side Request Forgery) - Internal network probing ✅
  • LFI/RFI (File Inclusion) - Local and remote file inclusion ✅
  • XXE (XML External Entity) - XML injection attacks ✅
  • Security Headers - Validates HTTP security headers (HSTS, CSP, etc.) ✅
  • RCE (Remote Code Execution) - Command injection and code execution ✅
  • IDOR (Insecure Direct Object Reference) - Access control issues ✅
  • Open Redirect - URL redirection vulnerabilities ✅
  • CORS Misconfiguration - Cross-origin resource sharing issues ✅
  • Path Traversal - Directory traversal detection ✅
  • NoSQL Injection - MongoDB and NoSQL database attacks ✅
  • LDAP Injection - LDAP query injection ✅
  • SSTI - Server-Side Template Injection ✅

AI Intelligence

  • Smart Target Analysis - Technology stack detection
  • Adaptive Scanning - Prioritizes high-impact vulnerabilities
  • Pattern Recognition - Learns from scan results
  • Resource Optimization - Efficient payload selection
  • Context-Aware Testing - Technology-specific vulnerability checks

Reporting

  • Multiple Formats - HTML, PDF, JSON, Markdown
  • Severity Classification - Critical, High, Medium, Low, Info
  • OWASP & CWE Mapping - Industry-standard categorization
  • Remediation Guidance - Actionable fix recommendations
  • Beautiful Visualizations - Charts and statistics

📊 Enterprise Logging & Fingerprinting

  • Structured JSON Logging - Native JSON logs optimized for Splunk, ELK, and other SIEM log collectors.
  • Audit Trails - Secure trace logging of scanner phases, resolving domains, and vulnerabilities detected for operational security auditing.
  • Dynamic Technology Fingerprinting - Heuristic fingerprinting mapping response headers, framework cookies (like PHPSESSID, JSESSIONID, laravel_session), and DOM patterns (such as React and Angular markers).

📦 Installation

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.8 or higher
  • pip (Python package manager)
  • Linux-based OS (Kali Linux, Ubuntu, Debian, etc.)

Quick Install

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yashabcyber7/hacktheweb.git
cd hacktheweb

# Run installation script
chmod +x scripts/install.sh
./scripts/install.sh

Manual Installation

# Install system dependencies (Debian/Ubuntu/Kali)
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python3-pip python3-venv python3-dev build-essential \
                     libssl-dev libffi-dev libxml2-dev libxslt1-dev nmap

# Create virtual environment (recommended)
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

# Install HackTheWeb
pip install -e .

# Initialize configuration
hacktheweb init-config

Docker Installation (Coming Soon)

docker pull hacktheweb/hacktheweb:latest
docker run -it hacktheweb/hacktheweb scan https://example.com

🚀 Usage

Basic Scan

# Simple scan
hacktheweb scan https://example.com

# Scan with HTML report
hacktheweb scan https://example.com --format html

Advanced Scanning

# Thorough scan with custom threads
hacktheweb scan https://example.com --scan-mode thorough --threads 20

# Specific vulnerability tests
hacktheweb scan https://example.com --techniques xss sqli csrf

# Custom configuration
hacktheweb scan https://example.com --config custom_config.yaml

# Multiple output formats
hacktheweb scan https://example.com --format pdf --output ./reports

CLI Commands

# List all available techniques
hacktheweb list-techniques

# View a report
hacktheweb view-report reports/report_20231025_143022.json

# Initialize default config
hacktheweb init-config --output config/myconfig.yaml

# Launch web dashboard (coming soon)
hacktheweb web

Python API

import asyncio
from hacktheweb.core.config import Config
from hacktheweb.core.ai_engine import AIEngine
from hacktheweb.core.scanner import Scanner
from hacktheweb.reporting.report_generator import ReportGenerator

# Initialize components
config = Config()
ai_engine = AIEngine(config)
scanner = Scanner(config, ai_engine)

# Run scan
results = asyncio.run(scanner.scan('https://example.com'))

# Generate report
report_gen = ReportGenerator(config)
report_path = report_gen.generate(results, format='html')

print(f"Report generated: {report_path}")

📚 Documentation

Configuration

HackTheWeb uses YAML configuration files. Generate a default config:

hacktheweb init-config --output config/myconfig.yaml

Sample Configuration:

general:
  threads: 10
  timeout: 30
  delay: 0
  verify_ssl: false

scanning:
  max_depth: 3
  scan_mode: smart  # fast, smart, thorough
  techniques:
    - xss
    - sqli
    - csrf
    - ssrf

ai:
  learning_enabled: true
  confidence_threshold: 0.7
  adaptive_scanning: true

reporting:
  format: html
  include_payloads: true

rate_limiting:
  enabled: true
  requests_per_second: 10

Scan Modes

  • Fast: Quick scan with minimal payloads
  • Smart (Default): AI-optimized scanning strategy
  • Thorough: Comprehensive scan with all techniques

Report Formats

  • HTML: Interactive web-based report with styling
  • PDF: Professional PDF document
  • JSON: Machine-readable format for automation
  • Markdown: Text-based report for documentation

🛡️ Security & Ethics

Legal Disclaimer

⚠️ IMPORTANT: This tool is for authorized security testing only.

  • ✅ DO: Get written permission before testing
  • ✅ DO: Use on your own systems or with explicit authorization
  • ✅ DO: Follow responsible disclosure practices
  • ❌ DON'T: Test systems without permission
  • ❌ DON'T: Use for illegal activities
  • ❌ DON'T: Cause damage or disruption

By using HackTheWeb, you agree to use it responsibly and ethically.

Responsible Usage

  1. Always obtain written authorization
  2. Respect scope limitations
  3. Handle sensitive data carefully
  4. Report findings responsibly
  5. Follow local laws and regulations

💾 Data & Payloads

HackTheWeb comes with comprehensive payload databases and wordlists in the data/ directory:

Payload Databases

  • XSS Payloads - 28+ injection vectors (basic, encoded, polyglot, DOM-based)
  • SQLi Payloads - 42+ SQL injection patterns (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MSSQL)
  • Sensitive Files - 40+ Linux/Windows file paths for LFI/Path Traversal

Discovery & Testing

  • Common Endpoints - 30+ API endpoints and admin panels
  • User Agents - 8 modern browser user-agent strings
  • Usernames/Passwords - Common credentials for authentication testing
  • File Extensions - 35+ extensions for file inclusion testing
  • Technology Fingerprints - 40+ patterns for technology detection

Customization

Add your own payloads by editing files in the data/ directory:

# Add custom XSS payload
echo '<custom>payload</custom>' >> data/xss_payloads.txt

# Add organization-specific file path
echo '/var/www/myapp/config.php' >> data/sensitive_files_linux.txt

Scanners automatically load payloads from these files, giving you 500+ payloads out of the box!

📖 Learn More: See DATA_INTEGRATION_COMPLETE.md

🏗️ Architecture

hacktheweb/
├── core/              # Core engine and AI logic
│   ├── ai_engine.py   # Rule-based AI engine
│   ├── scanner.py     # Main scanning orchestrator
│   └── config.py      # Configuration management
├── scanners/          # Vulnerability scanners (15 total)
│   ├── xss_scanner.py
│   ├── sqli_scanner.py
│   ├── csrf_scanner.py
│   ├── ssrf_scanner.py
│   ├── lfi_scanner.py
│   ├── rce_scanner.py
│   ├── idor_scanner.py
│   └── ...            # 8 more scanners
├── utils/             # Utility modules
│   └── data_loader.py # Loads payloads from data/
├── data/              # Payload databases & wordlists ✨ NEW
│   ├── xss_payloads.txt
│   ├── sqli_payloads.txt
│   ├── sensitive_files_linux.txt
│   ├── sensitive_files_windows.txt
│   └── ...            # More data files
├── recon/             # Reconnaissance modules
├── exploits/          # Exploit framework
├── reporting/         # Report generators
│   └── report_generator.py
├── web/               # Web dashboard (coming soon)
└── cli.py             # Command-line interface

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow these guidelines:

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
  3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
  4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
  5. Open a Pull Request

Development Setup

# Clone and install in development mode
git clone https://github.com/yashabcyber7/hacktheweb.git
cd hacktheweb
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run tests
pytest tests/

# Check code quality
flake8 hacktheweb/
black hacktheweb/

📝 Roadmap

  • Core AI engine
  • Basic vulnerability scanners
  • Report generation
  • CLI interface
  • Web dashboard
  • API server
  • Plugin system
  • Custom payload editor
  • Collaboration features
  • CI/CD integration
  • Browser automation
  • Mobile app testing

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

👥 Authors

YashAB Cyber Security (Yashab Alam)

🙏 Acknowledgments

  • Inspired by industry-leading security tools
  • Built with modern Python best practices
  • Community-driven development

📞 Support & Inquiries

For support, feedback, or custom inquiries:

Made with ❤️ by security professionals, for security professionals

⭐ Star this repository if you find it useful!

Frequently asked questions

Is hacktheweb free to use?

hacktheweb is open source under the MIT licence. There is no licence fee and no seat count — you can self-host it or, where the project offers one, pay a vendor for a managed version instead.

What does hacktheweb do?

⚡ Production-Ready AI-Powered Web Application Penetration Testing & Vulnerability Assessment Framework

What is hacktheweb written in?

hacktheweb is primarily written in Python. Its source is publicly available at https://github.com/yashabcyber7/hacktheweb, and it has 1,311 GitHub stars.