The Dark Side of Pen Testing Tools: Cobalt Strike Exposed

Summary: The video discusses the recent efforts by Fortra, the company behind the Cobalt Strike penetration testing toolkit, to mitigate the misuse of their software. By collaborating with ISPs and informants, Fortra has significantly reduced the availability of unauthorized copies of Cobalt Strike, achieving an 80% decrease in illegal deployments.

Keypoints:

• Cobalt Strike is a widely-used penetration testing toolkit, legitimate for various purposes.
• The tool has been misused by criminals, leading to concerns about its availability.
• Fortra announced a crackdown on piracy and unauthorized deployments of Cobalt Strike.
• Collaborating with ISPs and informants has been key to their strategy.
• As a result of these efforts, there is now an 80% decrease in unauthorized copies of Cobalt Strike available.