Tools, Tools, and TOOLS!!

Have you ever said to yourself, 'There are just so many tools and it's hard to keep track of all of them and know what each one does?' Well I do all the time that's why I decided to write this quick reference on popular tools (It's impossible to cover all tools but I will try to cover as much as possible) with a brief explanation on how they work and where to get them. I am going to cover tools for both Linux and Windows platforms those tools will consist of (IDSes Firewalls Exploits Scanners Reconnaissance Password crackers Auditing etc). But before I start I would like to talk in general about a successful attack and some of the tools involved.