9 Essential Open-Source Payload Library Tools for 2025

Enterprise pentesting tools and exploit databases can bust budgets with steep licence fees and lock you into closed systems. Many security teams face the pain of limited vendor-provided payloads, infrequent updates, and opaque roadmaps. The good news? These headaches disappear with open-source payload libraries, which offer expansive exploit and fuzzing kits at no cost and with full transparency—so you can hack smarter without vendor handcuffs.

Why This List Matters: In Australia, stringent data protection laws (Privacy Act 1988) and frameworks like the Essential Eight demand rigorous security testing and control over sensitive data. Open-source payload tools let businesses self-host their pentesting arsenal, keeping testing data onshore for compliance, all while slashing spend on proprietary security software. Each tool below helps Aussie SMEs harden systems in line with local regulations by enabling thorough, in-house testing of vulnerabilities—minus the licence fees.

Shared Wins Across Every Tool

• Zero licence fees & transparent code
• Active community support & rapid feature evolution
• Flexible self-hosting for data sovereignty in Australia
• No vendor lock-in—migrate or fork at any time

Tools at a Glance

1. PayloadsAllTheThings – 66.8k⭐ GitHub repo of injection payloads and WAF bypasses GitHub repo of injection payloads and WAF bypasses.
2. SecLists – 63.8k⭐ collection of usernames, passwords, URLs, fuzzing payloads, web shells & more collection of usernames, passwords, URLs, fuzzing payloads, web shells & more.
3. FuzzDB – 8.6k⭐ dictionary of fault injection patterns for black-box testing dictionary of fault injection patterns for black-box testing.
4. Payloads (foospidy) – 3.8k⭐ “Git All The Payloads” repository of assorted web attack payloads repository of assorted web attack payloads.
5. GTFOBins – 11.8k⭐ curated Unix binaries for local privilege escalation and sandbox escapes curated Unix binaries for local privilege escalation and sandbox escapes (“GTFOBins”).
6. LOLBAS – 7.7k⭐ catalog of Windows “Living Off The Land” binaries and scripts exploitable for abuse catalog of Windows “Living Off The Land” binaries and scripts exploitable for abusecatalog of Windows “Living Off The Land” binaries and scripts exploitable for abuse (“LOLBins”).
7. Metasploit Framework – 35.8k⭐ world's most used exploit framework with a vast built-in payload library world's most used exploit framework with a vast built-in payload libraryworld's most used exploit framework with a vast built-in payload library.
8. Exploit-DB & SearchSploit – Archive of 40,000+ public exploits & PoCs (CVE-indexed), accessible via the free SearchSploit tool Archive of 40,000+ public exploits & PoCs (CVE-indexed), accessible via the free SearchSploit tool.
9. HackTricks – 10k⭐ crowdsourced pentesting cheat-sheet wiki of tricks from CTFs and real-world exploits crowdsourced pentesting cheat-sheet wiki of tricks from CTFs and real-world exploits.

Quick Comparison

Deep Dives

PayloadsAllTheThings

Key Features

• Comprehensive Payload Coverage: Huge repository covering XSS, SQLi, SSRF, XXE, command injection, brute-force, OAuth bugs—you name it. Each category contains payloads and tricks to exploit that vulnerability.
• Bypass Techniques: Not just basic exploits, but clever WAF/filter bypass payloads (e.g. encodings, polyglots) are included, helping you slip past common defenses.
• Docs & Examples: Every folder often includes a README with usage notes or external references. For example, the CVE Exploits section provides PoCs for known CVEsgithub.com, and other sections link to cheat sheets for quick learning.

Community & Roadmap

• Community-Driven: With over 2,000 commits and nearly 180 contributors to date, this project is truly community-curated. New payloads are added regularly as researchers and CTF players contribute cutting-edge techniques. Creator @Swissky and others actively maintain it, merging pull requests and keeping the repository up-to-date with the latest exploits.
• Frequent Updates: The roadmap is essentially driven by emerging vulnerabilities—when a new bypass or exploit is discovered in the wild, it often finds its way into PayloadsAllTheThings quickly. This organic, continuous improvement means your team can leverage the latest tricks (for instance, novel deserialization gadgets or HTTP smuggling quirks) soon after they're public. Australian pentesters appreciate this agility, as it keeps them a step ahead without waiting for vendor updates.

Security & Compliance

Pricing Snapshot

"We replaced a paid vulnerability scanner's limited payload list with PayloadsAllTheThings and immediately uncovered flaws it missed – all without spending a cent," says a Sydney fintech's security lead.

SecLists

Key Features

• Massive Wordlist Repository: SecLists is known as the "security tester's companion" collection of usernames, passwords, URLs, fuzzing payloads, web shells & more. It aggregates hundreds of lists: common usernames, passwords, URLs, sensitive file/directory names, payloads for fuzzing, known leaked API keys, LFI strings, web shell code, and more. Instead of scouring the web for wordlists, SMEs get them all in one place.
• Fuzzing and Bruteforce Payloads: It includes extensive fuzzing payloads (for HTTP headers, SQL injection, XSS, etc.) and is perfect for brute-force testing. E.g., need to fuzz a Host header? SecLists has a list for that. Need a huge set of passwords for credential stuffing? It's in SecLists (like the famous rockyou.txt).
• Continually Updated: New lists are added as new attack vectors emerge. Recent additions include AI/LLM prompt injection testing lists, IoT default creds, and more – ensuring testers can target the latest tech.

Community & Roadmap

• Provenance: Curated by Daniel Miessler and community, SecLists has 4,900+ commits over many years. It's effectively feature-complete for known list types, but the maintainers still accept contributions for new categories (e.g. wordlists for GraphQL or gRPC endpoints as they gain popularity).
• Aussie Usage: Many Australian pen-testers and devs use SecLists as a go-to. It's packaged in Kali Linux, which is standard in Aussie university cyber courses and consulting firms. The roadmap is simply to keep aggregating crucial data; expect it to remain the one-stop list resource.

Security & Compliance

Pricing Snapshot

"By using SecLists on our internal CI fuzzing jobs, we increased our directory discovery rate by 40% – all open-source," reports an Australian SaaS startup CTO.

FuzzDB

Key Features

• Attack Pattern Dictionaries: FuzzDB is the first and most comprehensive open dictionary of fault injection patterns dictionary of fault injection patterns for black-box testing. It contains crafted payloads known to cause issues like OS command injections, path traversal, SQL/NoSQL injection, CRLF injection, and more Known-vuln patterns (null bytes, etc.). For example, FuzzDB catalogues 56 different ways to represent a null byte in inputs Known-vuln patterns (null bytes, etc.) – invaluable for bypassing input filters.
• Predictable Resource Locations: Beyond injection attacks, FuzzDB has lists for discovery, such as common log file names, admin paths, backup file names, etc. [Known-vuln patterns (null bytes, etc.)](https://github.com/fuzzdb-project/fuzzdb#:~:text=Discovery%20 ,68). This makes it useful for web app reconnaissance and finding hidden files (e.g., it knows default Tomcat paths, CMS admin URLs, etc.).
• Regex Pattern Responses: It even provides regex patterns to grep responses for signs of interest (like credit card number patterns, common error messages) Known-vuln patterns (null bytes, etc.). This helps in analyzing fuzz results – e.g., auto-detecting when an error or stack trace appears.

Community & Roadmap

• Legacy & Maintenance: FuzzDB has ~8.6k stars and has been around for over a decade. It's a mature project; updates nowadays are infrequent but thoughtful. The community focus is on quality over quantity – many payloads are curated from real pentest engagements and research.
• Integration in Tools: The roadmap for FuzzDB is largely to support its integration. It's available as an add-on in OWASP ZAP and other tools Known-vuln patterns (null bytes, etc.). Australian companies using ZAP for DevSecOps benefit from FuzzDB payloads out-of-the-box. Continued maintenance ensures compatibility (e.g., updating lists to avoid anti-virus flags Introducing FuzzDB).

Security & Compliance

Pricing Snapshot

Payloads (foospidy)

Key Features

• Assorted Web Payloads: This repository (simply called "payloads" on GitHub) is a grab-bag of web attack payloads collected over time repository of assorted web attack payloads. It includes classic XSS vectors, SQLi strings, LFI traversal sequences, and some CTF-specific tricks. It's like a hacker's scratchpad of payloads, useful when you need quick ideas beyond the basics.
• Categorized by OWASP Top 10: The repo folders categorize payloads by context (e.g., XSS, SQL, etc.), making it straightforward to navigate. Need an XSS vector that breaks out of a specific <script> context? Check the XSS section for variations. For SQL injection, it has test patterns for different databases.
• CTF and Misc Payloads: There's a ctf/ directory containing creative payloads used in CTF challenges, which can inspire novel approaches for real-world tests. These include polyglot file payloads and weird file formats that often slip past filters.

Community & Roadmap

• Solo Maintainer: Payloads (foospidy) is smaller (under 100 commits repository of assorted web attack payloads) and primarily maintained by its original author. It hasn't seen major updates recently, indicating it's a stable collection of "known good" payloads.
• Use Case Today: Many pentesters fork this repo to incorporate into their personal toolkit. While not as actively updated as others, it remains a handy quick-reference. The roadmap isn't explicitly defined – it's effectively feature-frozen. If new payload types emerge, they often go to PayloadsAllTheThings these days, but foospidy's list is still a nice distilled set for everyday use.

Security & Compliance

Pricing Snapshot

GTFOBins

Key Features

• Unix Privilege Escalation Arsenal: GTFOBins (short for "GTFO Binaries") is a curated list of Unix binaries that can be exploited to bypass local security restrictions curated Unix binaries for local privilege escalation and sandbox escapescurated Unix binaries for local privilege escalation and sandbox escapes. These are common programs (like vim, less, find, etc.) that, when run in certain ways, let you escalate privileges or break out of restricted shells. For example, GTFOBins shows how to use vim to spawn a root shell, or how tar can be abused to read/write arbitrary files.
• Offline and Offline Usage: Each binary's page details multiple "payloads" – commands or scripts to invoke the binary for exploitation (spawning a shell, file upload, SUID abuse, etc.). The site is static and can be saved as an offline archive, which is great for on-site engagements with no internet.
• MITRE ATT&CK Mapped: GTFOBins entries are mapped to MITRE ATT&CK techniques where applicable (like Privilege Escalation, Defense Evasion), helping teams understand the context. This is useful for compliance too: you can verify if your Linux hardening covers these known vectors.

Community & Roadmap

• Vibrant Community: With ~11.8k stars on GitHub and dozens of contributors, GTFOBins is widely used by red teams curated Unix binaries for local privilege escalation and sandbox escapescurated Unix binaries for local privilege escalation and sandbox escapes. The community updates it whenever a new binary or new technique on an existing binary is discovered (e.g., recently adding newer cloud-native tools that could be abused).
• Stable Project: The content is fairly "finite" (there are only so many Unix binaries by default). Roadmap is to continue updating as needed. In Australia, many CTF competitions and training programs reference GTFOBins, and Aussie Linux administrators use it defensively to decide which binaries to restrict. Expect it to remain a community staple with incremental tweaks.

Security & Compliance

Pricing Snapshot

LOLBAS

Key Features

• Windows LOLBins & LOLScripts: LOLBAS stands for Living Off the Land Binaries And Scripts, focusing on Windows. It documents every legitimate Windows binary or script that attackers can abuse catalog of Windows "Living Off The Land" binaries and scripts exploitable for abuse. For instance, regsvr32.exe can be used to execute code from a remote SCF file (bypassing execution policy), or rundll32.exe to run malicious DLLs. Each entry details the exploit technique and even maps to MITRE techniques like UAC bypass, credential dumping, etc.
• Continuous Expansion: It not only lists binaries (EXEs) but also scripts (like PowerShell cmdlets or default scripts) and libraries (DLLs) that can be leveraged. This is crucial as Microsoft releases new tools – e.g., if a new sysadmin tool is introduced in Windows 11, and it's exploitable, LOLBAS will likely add it.
• Web Portal and API: The project's web portal allows quick filtering by category (UAC bypass, file write, etc.), and there's an API. This means you can programmatically check if a given filename is known as a LOLBin – some blue teams use this to alert if such binaries run unexpectedly.

Community & Roadmap

• Active Maintainers: Originally started by Oddvar Moe, it moved to a community project with ~810 commits and counting catalog of Windows "Living Off The Land" binaries and scripts exploitable for abuse. In 2024 it surpassed 7.7k stars catalog of Windows "Living Off The Land" binaries and scripts exploitable for abusecatalog of Windows "Living Off The Land" binaries and scripts exploitable for abuse, reflecting its importance. The maintainers actively review contributions – ensuring each new Windows feature or binary gets evaluated.
• Adoption in AU: Australian enterprises and government IT teams follow LOLBAS to strengthen Windows hardening. Roadmap is ongoing: as Windows evolves (e.g., new PowerShell versions, Windows Subsystem for Linux, etc.), LOLBAS will include any new "living off the land" techniques. Expect regular updates whenever a novel abuse is found (recently, things like MS Teams DLL hijacking made it to the list).

Security & Compliance

Pricing Snapshot

Metasploit Framework

Key Features

• Extensive Exploit & Payload Library: Metasploit is a full platform with over 1,000 exploit modules and hundreds of payloads covering everything from remote code execution in web apps to local privilege escalation on operating systems world's most used exploit framework with a vast built-in payload library. Its database includes classic exploits (e.g. MS08-067), modern exploits, and payloads like Meterpreter, staged shells, and more. This vast library means if a vulnerability has a public exploit, Metasploit likely has it or one can be easily added.
• Post-Exploitation and Auxiliary Modules: Beyond initial exploits, it has modules for post-exploitation (e.g. keystroke logging on a compromised host, dumping password hashes) and auxiliary modules for scanning and fuzzing. Essentially, it's not just a payload library but a complete Swiss army knife for offensive security.
• MSFvenom and Evasion: Metasploit's msfvenom allows custom payload generation/encoding. You can generate shellcode or trojanized files with various encoders to evade AV. This pairs the payload library with obfuscation techniques How to prevent an antivirus from detecting your malware, letting you simulate more realistic attack patterns for training and testing defenses.

Community & Roadmap

• Massive Community & Backing: The Framework (open-source, BSD-licensed world's most used exploit framework with a vast built-in payload library) is maintained by Rapid7 and the community. With ~35.8k GitHub stars and contributions from hundreds of developers globally, it's constantly updated world's most used exploit framework with a vast built-in payload library. New modules are added weekly – for example, if a major CVE drops (like a critical VMware RCE), the community often contributes a Metasploit module within days.
• Roadmap: Metasploit's future is secure, with Rapid7 investing in it as a core tool. Roadmap items include more cloud-focused modules (for AWS/Azure exploits), improved evasion, and integration with modern dev environments. In Australia, many security consultancies use Metasploit in engagements; its ubiquity means skills and modules are transferable across the industry.

Security & Compliance

Pricing Snapshot

Rapid7's Metasploit Pro is optional; most Aussie firms get by with the free Framework. By investing in staff training instead of license fees, you retain flexibility and skills in-house.

Exploit-DB & SearchSploit

Key Features

• Huge Exploit Archive: The Exploit Database (EDB) maintained by Offensive Security is a CVE-compliant archive of public exploits and Proof-of-Concepts Archive of 40,000+ public exploits & PoCs (CVE-indexed), accessible via the free SearchSploit tool. As of now, it hosts over 40,000 exploits dating back to 1988 Archive of 40,000+ public exploits & PoCs (CVE-indexed), accessible via the free SearchSploit tool. This includes exploits for servers, web apps, local privilege exploits, denial-of-service POCs, shellcode, and even historical papers and write-ups. If you need an exploit for a known vulnerability, Exploit-DB is the first place to look.
• SearchSploit (Offline Access): OffSec provides SearchSploit, a command-line tool bundled with Kali, that lets you grep this exploit repository offline. This is incredibly useful for quick lookups during pentests (e.g., "searchsploit Joomla 3.7" to find any exploit for that version). It ensures you have the entire library without internet, which is great for secure lab environments.
• Google Hacking Database (GHDB): Alongside exploits, EDB integrates the GHDB (Google Dorks) repository – queries that find sensitive info via search engines. It's a bonus resource for recon and open-source intelligence gathering.

Community & Roadmap

• Curation and Updates: OffSec's team curates submissions daily. The community and researchers submit new exploits (for example, when a new CVE exploit is published on GitHub, often an EDB entry is created). The redesign in late 2018 improved search and categorization Archive of 40,000+ public exploits & PoCs (CVE-indexed), accessible via the free SearchSploit tool. There's no "end" in sight – as long as vulnerabilities exist, Exploit-DB will grow.
• Adoption: In Australia, Exploit-DB is widely used in penetration testing workflows and even in secure dev cycles (devs sometimes check EDB to understand exploitability of a CVE in their product). The roadmap likely involves integrating more with other tools (APIs for vulnerability scanners, etc.). OffSec ensures EDB remains a free pillar of the community.

Security & Compliance

Pricing Snapshot

HackTricks

Key Features

• Pentesting Knowledge Base: HackTricks isn't a tool or list per se, but an open wiki of hacking techniques and payloads. It's like having StackExchange, Medium articles, and cheat-sheets all combined. Want to escalate privileges in AWS, or bypass an SSRF filter, or craft a malicious JWT? HackTricks has pages for every scenario with explanations and payload examples. It covers web, network, cloud, privilege escalation, antivirus evasion – a very broad spectrum.
• Up-to-Date Tricks: Maintained by an active expert (Carlos Polop) and community, HackTricks is constantly updated with the latest from CTFs, bug bounty write-ups, and research. For example, when HTTP/2 desync attacks became a hot topic, HackTricks added detailed notes. This immediacy means you learn cutting-edge bypasses that might not yet be in formal tools or lists.
• Searchable & Offline-ready: The content is available as a website and also in markdown on GitHub. It's searchable (even Google often points to HackTricks for queries like "XXE bypass firewall"). You can also host your own mirror if needed. This makes it a quick-reference during live tests or when training junior staff.

Community & Roadmap

• Community Wiki: With ~10k stars and many forks crowdsourced pentesting cheat-sheet wiki of tricks from CTFs and real-world exploits, HackTricks has an active following. Security folks around the world contribute improvements. The roadmap is essentially to keep expanding into new domains (recently more on cloud pentesting and Docker/Kubernetes security, for instance) and updating existing pages as techniques evolve.
• Australian Context: Aussie security teams use HackTricks as a training resource. It's common to see it open on a second screen during local CTF competitions or internal red-team ops. Given it's a wiki, an Australian pentester can even contribute a uniquely Aussie finding (perhaps something like bypassing an ATO-specific system) to give back. HackTricks will continue to grow as a living document of hacker knowledge.

Security & Compliance

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How to Choose the Right Payload Library Tool

Every business has unique needs. Here's how these tools fit different profiles:

No matter your size, start with the basics: ensure your team can handle the tools (training is free or community-provided) and that the outputs of these libraries feed into your security improvement process (e.g. fixing vulnerabilities found). Remember, open-source doesn't mean unsupported – Cybergarden's services can help integrate these tools into a cohesive pentest workflow tailored to your business needs.

Key Takeaways

• Open-source payload libraries provide immediate cost savings by eliminating tool licences, while actually increasing the breadth of your testing with community-curated exploits.
• Australian SMEs benefit from self-hosting these tools to meet compliance requirements – all testing data stays onshore and under your control, aiding in privacy and regulatory audits.
• With active communities, these resources stay more up-to-date on emerging threats than many vendor tools. You gain flexibility to customize and no dependence on vendor release cycles for critical updates.

Ready to own your stack without licence fees? Book a free strategy chat with Cybergarden.

FAQs

Q1: Are these open-source payload libraries safe and legal to use for my company's testing?

Absolutely. All the listed resources are legal to use for authorized security testing. They contain payload examples and exploit code that you can run in controlled environments (or against your own assets with permission). In fact, many are maintained by reputable organizations (e.g. Exploit-DB by Offensive Security, Metasploit by Rapid7) and are used in professional penetration tests worldwide. The key is to use them ethically – only target systems you have permission to test. Because they're open-source, you can audit what you're using, which adds safety. There's no hidden malware – just publicly known exploit techniques. Always follow Australian laws and industry guidelines (like getting written client consent for tests), and you're on solid ground. Open-source just means you have full transparency into the tools.

Q2: How do these compare to commercial pentest tools – do we still need paid solutions?

Open-source payload libraries cover a huge portion of what expensive tools offer, often with more transparency. Many commercial pentest tools (like certain vulnerability scanners or exploit frameworks) are actually leveraging similar payloads under the hood. By using resources like SecLists and Metasploit, you're essentially getting that capability without the price tag. That said, commercial tools sometimes package things with slicker UIs, automation, and official support. An SME with very limited security staff might find value in a paid platform for ease-of-use. However, you can often script and automate open-source tools similarly (and Cybergarden can help integrate them for you). The big advantage of open-source is no vendor lock-in and the flexibility to tweak tools. Many mature enterprises run a hybrid approach: open-source tools for most work and maybe one or two paid services for specific needs (e.g. managed compliance scanning). But countless businesses succeed with an open-source only toolkit – saving tens of thousands in license fees yearly. The bottom line: evaluate your team's capacity. If you can invest a bit of time learning these tools, they will likely cover 90% of your needs at 0% of the cost, leaving budget to hire talent or fund remediation, which actually improves security.