Nebula – Autonomous AI Pentesting Tool

Another cutting-edge tool from 2024 is Nebula, an open-source AI-powered penetration testing assistant. If PentestGPT is like an AI advisor, Nebula attempts to automate parts of the pentest process itself. It was released as a beta-phase project in late 2024 by security researchers at Beryllium.

What Nebula Does: Nebula combines a language model with a suite of integrated hacking tools to perform actions based on your guidance. It’s “autonomous” in that it can chain multiple steps – it can run Nmap, analyse the output, and then automatically launch follow-up enumeration, all while logging its progress.

Key Features:

Natural Language Command: You operate Nebula through your terminal by prefixing commands ! to chat with the AI. For example: ! enumerate this target for open ports and services – Nebula will execute an Nmap scan in the background and report results.
Integrated Toolkit: Nebula is pre-integrated with standard tools like Nmap, crackmapexec, OWASP ZAP, and more. This means it can run these tools and interpret their output. After an Nmap scan, Nebula’s AI can suggest which services to target next and even run those suggested tools automatically in Autonomous Mode.
Autonomous Mode: This mode, when enabled, lets Nebula take initiative – it will decide on the sequence of recon/exploitation steps (within configured limits). For example, it might scan, launch a vulnerability scanner, attempt default creds on a service, etc., all on its own. This showcases the future of AI-assisted hacking, though users often run it step-by-step for safety in practice.
AI Note-Taking: Nebula logs every command run and can maintain notes. It even annotates findings, which is great for reporting. Instead of juggling a notepad, you have an automatic record of the engagement.
Use Case Example: Say you’re assessing a web server. You can tell Nebula, ! find vulnerabilities on the website running at http://example.com. It will perhaps run a Nikto or OWASP ZAP scan (as it sees fit), then tell you, “I found a potential SQL injection in the login form,” and even suggest an exploit payload. This dramatically speeds up the recon phase.

Voice & Tone: Using Nebula feels like commanding a very diligent junior hacker. It follows orders and gives updates. One user noted, “Nebula stands out by actively augmenting the human tester…serves as a powerful ally that accelerates cybersecurity work” (as the developers describe it). However, it’s not set-and-forget; you must supervise it since AI can misinterpret results. Nebula is open-source and free, though it downloads AI model files on first run (so ensure you have a decent GPU or use the CPU mode with patience).

Nebula is a fascinating tool to experiment with; it marks a significant step toward AI-assisted ethical hacking, automating tedious parts of pentesting while leaving critical decision-making to you. Early users have praised how it saves time in scanning and note-taking, effectively acting as a tireless sidekick. If you want a glimpse of the future of pentest automation, try Nebula.

Reader Interactions