Impacket vs CloudCopy: 2026 Comparison
Impacket is a free offensive security tool. CloudCopy is a free offensive security tool. Compare features, ratings, integrations, and community reviews side by side to find the best offensive security fit for your security stack.
CST VerdictBased on our analysis of available product data, here is our conclusion:
Red teamers and penetration testers who need to build custom attack chains will find Impacket indispensable; its Python-native SMB, Kerberos, and NTLM implementations let you craft protocol-level attacks that commercial tools either can't do or won't let you customize. The 14,800+ GitHub stars reflect real adoption in offensive engagements, and the library's low-level protocol handling means you can exploit edge cases that signature-based defenses miss. Skip this if your team wants a point-and-click interface; Impacket demands Python fluency and assumes you understand the protocols you're weaponizing.
Red teamers and penetration testers targeting AWS environments with on-premises Active Directory should use CloudCopy to extract domain credentials from cloud-hosted domain controllers without agent deployment or credential interception. The tool's implementation of the Shadow Copy attack via EBS snapshots works against a specific, high-value target that most cloud offense tooling ignores. Skip this if your scope excludes AWS infrastructure or if you're looking for post-exploitation credential access beyond domain hashes.
