# Metasploit

> computer security testing tool

**Wikidata**: [Q1147445](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1147445)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metasploit)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/metasploit

## Summary
Metasploit is a free and open-source computer security testing tool used for penetration testing and vulnerability assessment. It provides a framework for developing, testing, and executing exploits against remote targets to help identify security weaknesses in systems and networks.

## Key Facts
- Created by HD Moore as the Metasploit Project
- Licensed under the 3-clause BSD License
- Written primarily in Ruby programming language
- Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and BSD operating systems
- Developed and maintained by Rapid7
- First released in 2011-08-00
- Latest stable version 4.16.46 released on 2018-03-23
- Has over 243,000 social media followers as of February 2023
- Used for penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, and exploit development
- Includes continuous integration for software quality assurance

## FAQs
### Q: What is Metasploit used for?
A: Metasploit is used for penetration testing and vulnerability assessment to help security professionals identify and validate security weaknesses in computer systems and networks. It provides tools for developing, testing, and executing exploits against remote targets.

### Q: Is Metasploit free to use?
A: Yes, Metasploit is free and open-source software distributed under the 3-clause BSD License, allowing users to freely run, study, change, and distribute it and modified versions.

### Q: What programming language is Metasploit written in?
A: Metasploit is primarily written in Ruby programming language, with development beginning in March 2007.

## Why It Matters
Metasploit matters because it has become the industry standard framework for penetration testing and vulnerability assessment in cybersecurity. It provides security professionals with a comprehensive platform to identify, validate, and demonstrate security vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them. The tool has revolutionized how organizations approach security testing by providing a centralized framework that combines exploit development, payload generation, and post-exploitation tools in one package. Its open-source nature has fostered a large community of contributors who continuously develop new exploits and modules, keeping the framework current with emerging threats. Metasploit has also played a crucial role in security education, helping professionals understand attack methodologies and defensive strategies. By making sophisticated security testing tools accessible to a wider audience, Metasploit has raised the overall security posture of organizations worldwide and contributed significantly to the advancement of cybersecurity practices.

## Notable For
- Industry-standard penetration testing framework used by security professionals worldwide
- Largest collection of public exploits and security research tools in one framework
- Pioneer in making professional-grade security testing tools freely available to the community
- Continuous integration implementation for maintaining software quality and reliability
- Active community development with regular updates and new exploit modules

## Body
### Development and History
Metasploit was created by HD Moore as the Metasploit Project, with development beginning in March 2007 when the framework transitioned to Ruby programming language. The project was first released in August 2011 and has since become a cornerstone tool in the cybersecurity industry.

### Technical Architecture
The framework operates as a modular system where users can select from hundreds of exploits, payloads, and auxiliary modules. It runs on multiple platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, and BSD operating systems, making it accessible across different computing environments.

### Licensing and Distribution
Metasploit is distributed under the 3-clause BSD License, which allows for free use, modification, and distribution of the software. The framework is available through digital download from the official website at https://www.metasploit.com/.

### Community and Support
The project is maintained by Rapid7, with active development on GitHub at https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework. The framework includes continuous integration for quality assurance and has a large community contributing to its development and maintenance.

### Versions and Updates
The framework has seen numerous stable releases, with version 4.16.46 being the latest stable release as of March 2018. The project maintains a consistent release schedule with regular updates adding new exploits and improving existing functionality.

### Integration and Ecosystem
Metasploit integrates with various security tools and platforms, and has ports available for FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and other Unix-like systems. It also has packages available for Arch Linux, Gentoo, and other Linux distributions.

## Schema Markup
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
  "name": "Metasploit",
  "description": "Computer security testing tool used for penetration testing and vulnerability assessment",
  "url": "https://www.metasploit.com/",
  "creator": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "HD Moore"
  },
  "developer": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Rapid7"
  },
  "applicationCategory": "Security",
  "license": "3-clause BSD License",
  "operatingSystem": [
    "Windows",
    "macOS",
    "Linux",
    "BSD"
  ],
  "programmingLanguage": "Ruby",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metasploit_Project",
    "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q328"
  ]
}

## References

1. Source
2. [Source](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/LICENSE)
3. [Source](https://www.linux-magazin.de/news/metasploit-3-0-setzt-auf-ruby/)
4. [2025](https://github.com/EvanLi/Github-Ranking/blob/master/Data/github-ranking-2025-07-06.csv)
5. [Nightly Installers](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/wiki/Nightly-Installers)
6. [Nghtly Installers](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/wiki/Nightly-Installers)
7. [Metasploit Weekly Wrapup: Get the 411. 2014](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases)
8. [metasploit-framework: Metasploit Framework. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.16.31)
9. [Source](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.16.32)
10. [metasploit-framework – Tag 4.16.33. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.16.33)
11. [Source](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.16.34)
12. [Source](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.16.36)
13. [metasploit-framework: Metasploit Framework](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.16.39)
14. [Source](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.16.41)
15. [Source](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.16.44)
16. [Source](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.16.46)
17. [rapid7/metasploit-framework](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.16.49)
18. [rapid7/metasploit-framework](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.11)
19. [rapid7/metasploit-framework](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/5.0.0)
20. [Release 4.16.61. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.16.61)
21. [Release 4.16.62. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.16.62)
22. [Release 4.16.63. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.16.63)
23. [Release 4.16.64. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.16.64)
24. [Release 4.16.65. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.16.65)
25. [Release 4.17.0. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.0)
26. [Release 4.17.1. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.1)
27. [Release 4.17.2. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.2)
28. [Release 4.17.3. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.3)
29. [Release 4.17.4. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.4)
30. [Release 4.17.5. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.5)
31. [Release 4.17.6. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.6)
32. [Release 4.17.7. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.7)
33. [Release 4.17.8. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.8)
34. [Release 4.17.9. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.9)
35. [Release 4.17.10. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.10)
36. [Release 4.17.12. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.12)
37. [Release 4.17.13. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.13)
38. [Release 4.17.14. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.14)
39. [Release 4.17.15. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.15)
40. [Release 4.17.16. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.16)
41. [Release 4.17.17. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.17)
42. [Release 4.17.18. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.18)
43. [Release 4.17.19. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.19)
44. [Release 4.17.20. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.20)
45. [Release 4.17.21. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.21)
46. [Release 4.17.22. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.22)
47. [Release 4.17.23. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.23)
48. [Release 4.17.24. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.24)
49. [Release 4.17.25. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.25)
50. [Release 4.17.26. 2018](https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/releases/tag/4.17.26)