mimikatz vs Metasploit

Struggling to choose between mimikatz and Metasploit? 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, Metasploit is a Security & Privacy product tagged with exploitation, vulnerability-testing, offensive-security.

Its standout features include Exploit database, Payload database, Auxiliary modules, Evasion modules, Post-exploitation modules, Scripting engine, and it shines with pros like Comprehensive and frequently updated exploit database, Large collection of payloads, Modular architecture, Built-in evasion techniques, Powerful CLI and scripting capabilities, Active community support.

Feature	mimikatz	Metasploit
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.

Metasploit

Description: Metasploit is an open source penetration testing framework that helps security professionals find, exploit, and validate vulnerabilities. It includes a database of known exploits and payloads that can be used to simulate attacks against systems to test their security.

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

Metasploit Features

• Exploit database
• Payload database
• Auxiliary modules
• Evasion modules
• Post-exploitation modules
• Scripting engine

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

Metasploit

Pros

• Comprehensive and frequently updated exploit database
• Large collection of payloads
• Modular architecture
• Built-in evasion techniques
• Powerful CLI and scripting capabilities
• Active community support

Cons

• Can be complex for beginners
• Requires familiarity with penetration testing concepts
• Exploits can be unreliable and may crash targets
• Legal and ethical concerns around offensive security testing

Pricing Comparison

mimikatz

• Open Source

Metasploit

• Open Source
• Free