mimikatz vs Cobalt Strike

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

mimikatz is a Security & Privacy solution with tags like credentials, passwords, hash-dumps, pin-codes, kerberos-tickets.

It boasts features such as Extracts plaintext passwords, hash dumps, PIN codes, and kerberos tickets from memory, Can perform pass-the-hash attacks, Can perform pass-the-ticket attacks, Can perform Over-Pass-the-Hash attacks, Can export security certificates, Can perform privilege escalation and lateral movement and pros including Very effective at extracting credentials from memory, Useful for penetration testing engagements, Open source and free.

On the other hand, Cobalt Strike is a Security & Privacy product tagged with penetration-testing, red-team, exploit, cybersecurity, network-security.

Its standout features include Beacon payload generation, Command and control, Scriptable post-exploitation, Social engineering attacks, Malleable C2 profiles, Network profiling and host enumeration, and it shines with pros like Powerful post-exploitation capabilities, Evasion techniques to avoid detection, Flexible communication protocols, Integrates with Metasploit, Customizable to mimic real attacks.

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.

mimikatz

mimikatz

Mimikatz is an open-source utility that enables viewing and saving Windows OS credentials. It can obtain passwords, hash dumps, PIN codes, and kerberos tickets from memory. It is mainly used by penetration testers and cybercriminals.

Categories:
Security & Privacy Password Recovery
credentials passwords hash-dumps pin-codes kerberos-tickets

Mimikatz Features

  1. Extracts plaintext passwords, hash dumps, PIN codes, and kerberos tickets from memory
  2. Can perform pass-the-hash attacks
  3. Can perform pass-the-ticket attacks
  4. Can perform Over-Pass-the-Hash attacks
  5. Can export security certificates
  6. Can perform privilege escalation and lateral movement

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Very effective at extracting credentials from memory

Useful for penetration testing engagements

Open source and free

Cons

Mainly used for malicious purposes by cybercriminals

Unethical to use on systems without permission

May be detected by antivirus/EDR solutions

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:
Security & Privacy Penetration Testing
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