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.

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:
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


Metasploit

Metasploit

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.

Categories:
exploitation vulnerability-testing offensive-security

Metasploit Features

  1. Exploit database
  2. Payload database
  3. Auxiliary modules
  4. Evasion modules
  5. Post-exploitation modules
  6. Scripting engine

Pricing

  • Open Source
  • Free

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