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.

Feature	mimikatz	Cobalt Strike
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Security & Privacy	Security & Privacy

Product Overview

mimikatz

Description: 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.

Cobalt Strike

Description: 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.

Key Features Comparison

mimikatz Features

• 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

Cobalt Strike Features

• Beacon payload generation
• Command and control
• Scriptable post-exploitation
• Social engineering attacks
• Malleable C2 profiles
• Network profiling and host enumeration

Pros & Cons Analysis

mimikatz

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

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

Pricing Comparison

mimikatz

• Open Source

Cobalt Strike

• Subscription-Based