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Top Security & privacy

The most-starred MIT projects in Security & privacy.

How it's ranked: Sorted by GitHub stars. A project can appear in up to two categories. Data from GitHub as of 2026-11-02.

1. 1REALets AI agents reverse engineer apps, JavaScript/Electron code, .NET, and native binaries, with evidence.morluto · TypeScript★ 421k
2. 2SherlockCommand-line tool that checks many social networks for a given username.sherlock-project · Python★ 95.4k
3. 3Bitcoin CoreSoftware that runs a full Bitcoin node: it downloads and checks the whole Bitcoin network's history itself.bitcoin · C++★ 90.6k
4. 4PayloadsAllTheThingsA community-maintained collection of web security attack payloads and filter bypass examples, organized by vulswisskyrepo · Python★ 82.3k
5. 5HackingToolAn interactive console bundling 219 security testing tools, with an AI layer that suggests tools and commands.Z4nzu · Python★ 81.6k
6. 6SecListsA large collection of security testing word lists, such as usernames, passwords, and attack payloads, in one rdanielmiessler · PHP★ 74.5k
7. 7Win11DebloatA PowerShell script that removes preinstalled Windows apps and turns off telemetry and other clutter.Raphire · PowerShell★ 61.5k
8. 8face_recognitionA Python library and command-line tool for finding and recognizing faces in photos.ageitgey · Python★ 56.9k
9. 9security-auditAn agent skill that guides a coding agent through a multi-phase security audit of a codebase.cloudflare · JavaScript★ 56.8k
10. 10Big List of Naughty StringsA text file of tricky strings that often break software, used to test how apps handle bad input.minimaxir · Python★ 47.7k
11. 11V2RayProxy network tools for bypassing restrictions; this repo says it has moved to v2fly.v2ray · Go★ 46.9k
12. 12mitmproxyInteractive proxy that lets you inspect and modify HTTP and HTTPS traffic from your machine.mitmproxy · Python★ 46.6k
13. 13MaigretSearches for a username across thousands of websites to gather public account info.soxoj · Python★ 39.6k
14. 14FrigateSelf-hosted camera recorder that spots people, cars and animals locally using AI.blakeblackshear · Python★ 37.1k
15. 15Web CheckOpen-source tool that runs many checks on a website, such as DNS, headers, and SSL details.lissy93 · TypeScript★ 35.3k
16. 16V2RayA network toolkit for building your own proxies that secure connections and protect privacy.v2fly · Go★ 34.7k
17. 17AnomaReference implementation of the Anoma protocol, written in Elixir, for running a node.anoma · Elixir★ 33.6k
18. 18CloakBrowserA Chromium browser modified for stealth, meant to be a drop-in swap for Playwright.CloakHQ · Python★ 32.7k
19. 19NucleiA template-driven vulnerability scanner that checks apps, APIs, networks, DNS and cloud setups for known issueprojectdiscovery · Go★ 32.5k
20. 20hostsA combined blocklist of hosts-file entries that blocks ads, malware, and optional categories system-wide.StevenBlack · Python★ 31.4k
21. 21NanoClawA small, container-isolated AI assistant that connects to chat apps and runs on Anthropic's Agent SDK.nanocoai · TypeScript★ 31.1k
22. 22GitleaksOpen-source command-line tool that scans git repos and files for leaked passwords, API keys, and tokens.gitleaks · Go★ 30.6k
23. 23Better AuthA TypeScript authentication and authorization framework with built-in features and plugins.better-auth · TypeScript★ 30.6k
24. 24h4ckerA large curated collection of cybersecurity links, scripts, labs and training notes.The-Art-of-Hacking · Jupyter Notebook★ 30k
25. 25ActualA free, open-source budgeting app that keeps your data local and syncs across devices.actualbudget · TypeScript★ 29.9k