Cobalt Strike vs Nessus

Struggling to choose between Cobalt Strike and Nessus? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Cobalt Strike is a Security & Privacy solution with tags like penetration-testing, red-team, exploit, cybersecurity, network-security.

It boasts features such as Beacon payload generation, Command and control, Scriptable post-exploitation, Social engineering attacks, Malleable C2 profiles, Network profiling and host enumeration and pros including Powerful post-exploitation capabilities, Evasion techniques to avoid detection, Flexible communication protocols, Integrates with Metasploit, Customizable to mimic real attacks.

On the other hand, Nessus is a Security & Privacy product tagged with vulnerability-scanning, network-security, penetration-testing.

Its standout features include Vulnerability scanning, Compliance auditing, Web application scanning, Malware detection, Configuration auditing, and it shines with pros like Wide range of vulnerability checks, User-friendly interface, Regular plugin updates, Integrates with other Tenable products, Can customize scans and policies.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Cobalt Strike

Cobalt Strike

Cobalt Strike is a commercial penetration testing tool used to simulate adversarial attacks against networks. It helps testers find vulnerabilities and gain access similar to real-world threats.

Categories:
penetration-testing red-team exploit cybersecurity network-security

Cobalt Strike Features

  1. Beacon payload generation
  2. Command and control
  3. Scriptable post-exploitation
  4. Social engineering attacks
  5. Malleable C2 profiles
  6. Network profiling and host enumeration

Pricing

  • Subscription-Based

Pros

Powerful post-exploitation capabilities

Evasion techniques to avoid detection

Flexible communication protocols

Integrates with Metasploit

Customizable to mimic real attacks

Cons

Expensive licensing model

Steep learning curve

Can only be used legally for penetration testing

Advanced features require additional licensing


Nessus

Nessus

Nessus is a vulnerability scanner used to scan networks and systems for security vulnerabilities. It is one of the most popular vulnerability assessment tools.

Categories:
vulnerability-scanning network-security penetration-testing

Nessus Features

  1. Vulnerability scanning
  2. Compliance auditing
  3. Web application scanning
  4. Malware detection
  5. Configuration auditing

Pricing

  • Subscription-Based

Pros

Wide range of vulnerability checks

User-friendly interface

Regular plugin updates

Integrates with other Tenable products

Can customize scans and policies

Cons

Limited mobile device scanning

No built-in remediation capabilities

Some advanced features require additional purchase