From the release notes the Pro version did pick up the command line interface of the open source Framework as an option. So that is on parity. But additionally the Pro version now has:
- Metasploit Pro Console – Only available in Metasploit Pro, this console is for penetration testers who have become highly accustomed to the easy-to-use command-line interface of the Metasploit Framework, but also require the powerful automation capabilities of Metasploit Pro. With the addition of advanced network discovery, automated exploitation, evidence collection, smart brute forcing, and reporting capabilities to the existing features of the Metasploit Console, the results are immediately visible through the standard Web interface, allowing collaboration between team members using a mix of GUI and Console interfaces.
- PCI Reporting – A feature only available in Metasploit Pro, which generates reports for PCI DSS compliance with pass/fail information for applicable PCI DSS requirements. The PCI standard requires both vulnerability management (11.2) and penetration tests (11.3); therefore, to facilitate compliance with requirement 11.3, Metasploit Pro now includes a detailed, actionable report on an organization’s security posture regarding requirements two, six and eight, which include password and secure systems maintenance. In addition, organizations can leverage Rapid7’s vulnerability management solution NeXpose® to comply with requirement 11.2.
- Project Activity Report – A feature found in Metasploit Pro and Metasploit Express, organizations can now create a PDF report on the exact tests they run at the technical level. This enables clients of a penetration testing firm to retrace the steps that led to a successful assignment.
- Asset Tagging – An advanced feature of Metasploit Pro that allows users to freely assign tags to assets based on multiple criteria such as compliance, operation workflow and team collaboration on different operational units. Tags may be used to classify assets and document security findings, with direct integration into the reporting engine. This facilitates improved project management and reporting, in particular for large penetration testing engagements.
- Global Search – Found in Metasploit Pro and Metasploit Express, global search benefits users working on teams across various projects, with the ability to now search for tags, host names, IP addresses and annotations across projects and team members. This advanced search makes it easier to find information from previous projects or from other team members.
- Post-Exploitation Modules – This feature, found in all Metasploit editions, includes more than a dozen modules that can be run on exploited systems to perform actions such as gathering additional information, pivoting to other networks and elevating system privileges. New post-exploitation modules can be quickly added by Rapid7 as part of the weekly product update. In addition, Metasploit Pro and Metasploit Express provide the ability to run post-exploitation modules on multiple systems simultaneously.
Of all of these, the only one available in the open source Framework version is the post-exploitation modules. While I recognize that Rapid7 has to keep the Pro version with a feature set that makes it worth paying for, I sure would like to some of this available in the open source version as well.
There are different models that companies use when they have an open source and commercial version of the product. Sometimes new features are in the commercial version and then eventually come to the open source version. Other times new features are tested in the open source version before finding their way into the commercial version. Sometimes the feature sets remain forever apart. I am not sure what Rapid7’s vision here is.
The other thing is that from HD Moore’s blog article on the new framework features it would seem that Chris John Riley, a security researcher has done yeoman’s work on developing some great modules. Chris is pretty well known within the security world and was recently involved in calling out Liggat Security and Greg Evans (that is a whole different story that is pretty interesting). So while it is great that Chris did this great work, where is the commitment from Rapid7.
If it were anyone else besides HD Moore, I would probably be more suspicious and critical of this release by Rapid7. Instead I will give them the benefit of the doubt and take a wait and see approach. But I sure would like to see some of these great new features in the pro version make their way into the open source framework release in the weeks and months to come.
