PenPeeper - Open Source Pentesting Engagement Manager

TL;DR

TL;DR: PenPeeper is a free, open-source, self-hosted pentesting engagement manager that brings AI-powered vulnerability analysis, automated tool scanning (Nmap, Nikto, FFUF), CVE lookup, and professional reporting into a single workflow.

Source and Accuracy Notes

⚠️ This section is MANDATORY. All links must be verified from actual source, not guessed.

• Project page: penpeeper.com ← MUST visit and verify
• Source repository: github.com/chetstriker/PenPeeper ← MUST read README
• License: Proprietary (NOASSERTION - see LICENSE file in repo) — free to use, source available
• HN launch thread: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46780918
• Source last checked: 2026-07-21 (commit from master branch, pushed 2026-01-27)

What Is PenPeeper?

PenPeeper is an open-source pentesting engagement management system built for security professionals. The author, posting on Hacker News as chetstriker, described the motivation simply:

“Most pentesting tools I’ve used fall into one of two buckets: absurdly expensive enterprise SaaS, or open-source tools that don’t help once scanning is done. PenPeeper is my attempt to fix that.”

The tool is organized around a logical four-stage workflow that mirrors the natural lifecycle of a pentest:

Gather → Search → Findings → Report

This covers everything from adding target networks and running reconnaissance scans, through vulnerability hunting, to generating the final deliverable — all in one self-hosted application.

Setup Workflow

Prerequisites

• Windows (with WSL integration), macOS, or Linux
• Python 3.x for running the application
• Optional: local LLM providers (Ollama, LM Studio) for AI features

Step 1: Clone and Install

git clone https://github.com/chetstriker/PenPeeper.git
cd PenPeeper

The repository contains the main application code. Check the repo’s installation instructions for your specific platform.

Step 2: Configure Tool Integrations

PenPeeper integrates with standard security tools. Ensure they are installed and in your PATH:

# Verify nmap is available
nmap --version

# Verify nikto is available
nikto -Version

# For web fuzzing
ffuf --version

Step 3: Connect an LLM Provider (Optional)

AI features work with local or cloud providers. To enable AI-powered vulnerability analysis:

1. Navigate to Settings → LLM Configuration
2. Choose your provider: Ollama, LM Studio, OpenRouter, Claude, Gemini, or ChatGPT
3. Enter your endpoint and API key (for cloud providers)

Local providers like Ollama require no API key:

# Start Ollama locally
ollama serve
ollama pull codellama

Step 4: Start a New Engagement

1. Click New Engagement in the dashboard
2. Define scope: add target networks, IP ranges, or specific hosts
3. Tag assets by type (e.g., Server, Camera, DMZ) to keep things organized

Deeper Analysis

The Four Tabs

PenPeeper’s interface is organized into four tabs matching the pentest lifecycle:

Gather — Add networks and devices, run scans, import evidence, tag assets by category. Supports importing external scan results, screenshots, and notes.

Search — Hunt for vulnerabilities by service, port, protocol, vendor, banner, or custom tags. PenPeeper automatically parses scan output and matches findings against its knowledge base.

Findings — Review confirmed vulnerabilities, attach evidence, assign severity and confidence levels. AI can examine device information and scan results to surface potential issues.

Report — Generate professional pentest reports with customizable templates. AI can produce executive summaries based on all confirmed findings, saving significant documentation time.

Built-in Tool Integration

PenPeeper automates several standard security tools:

| Tool | Purpose | |------|---------| | Nmap | Network discovery and port scanning | | Nikto | Web server scanning | | FFUF | Web fuzzing and directory discovery | | WhatWeb | Web technology identification | | Enum4Linux | SMB enumeration | | SearchSploit | Exploit database lookup | | SNMP | SNMP device scanning |

Running the “Magic Button” executes all built-in scans against selected targets automatically.

CVE Integration

PenPeeper connects to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) to automatically pull CVE information. When a vulnerability is detected, relevant CVEs are populated with descriptions, severity scores, and remediation guidance.

Practical Evaluation Checklist

• Runs locally without internet dependency for core scanning
• Supports both self-hosted (Ollama, LM Studio) and cloud AI providers
• Automated scan parsing eliminates manual XML/JSON wrestling
• Multi-project management with tagging and filtering
• Professional report output suitable for client delivery
• Windows WSL integration for hybrid environments

Security Notes

• All data stays on your infrastructure — no cloud dependency for core functionality
• Cloud AI providers (OpenAI, Anthropic) require API keys and transmit data externally
• Local LLM deployment (Ollama, LM Studio) keeps vulnerability data fully private
• Source code available for audit on GitHub

FAQ

Q: Is PenPeeper free to use? A: Yes, it is free and open source. The license is proprietary with source available — check the LICENSE file in the repository for exact terms.

Q: Do I need AI for it to work? A: No. AI features are optional. PenPeeper works as a engagement manager and scanner aggregator without any LLM integration.

Q: Can I use my own scanning tools? A: Yes. You can import scan results from external tools, screenshots, and notes alongside PenPeeper’s built-in automation.

Q: What is the “Magic Button”? A: The Magic Button automatically discovers devices on a target network and runs all built-in scans against them with a single click, covering Nmap, Nikto, WhatWeb, and more.

Conclusion

PenPeeper fills a gap between expensive enterprise SaaS pentesting platforms and bare-bones open-source scanners. By bringing automated scanning, AI-powered analysis, CVE lookup, and professional reporting into one self-hosted tool, it reduces the friction between finding vulnerabilities and delivering the final report. It is free, runs on your infrastructure, and the source is available for audit on GitHub.

If you are doing penetration testing work and want a single pane of glass for the full workflow, PenPeeper is worth evaluating.