I am using CIS-CAT Pro Assessor through Dashboard, do I still need the stand-alone Assessor tool?

Problem

CIS-CAT Pro Dashboard v3 includes a built-in version of CIS-CAT Pro Assessor that can be used to conduct scans directly from the Dashboard web interface: Assess a Target System

However, some assessment features and capabilities are unavailable in this integrated version.

Solution

Below is a listing of usage cases where the standalone CIS-CAT Pro Assessor v4 would be required.

• You are planning to assess multiple systems in sequence via a Configuration XML or Sessions file
  (Dashboard’s Assessor only allows scanning one target at a time)

• You intend to conduct assessments using Tailored Benchmarks, which are currently not supported in Dashboard v3 (only the pre-supplied list of included Benchmarks can be run)

• You intend to conduct assessments of databases (such as MySQL), or other target system types requiring interactive values whose corresponding Benchmarks are not included with Dashboard:
  https://ciscat-assessor.docs.cisecurity.org/en/latest/Coverage%20Guide/

• You want to authenticate to assessment targets via SSH using a private key file
  (instead of a username & password)

• You are utilizing WinRM over HTTPS for Windows assessments (instead of HTTP)

Note that you can use both tools concurrently, and uploading reports from a standalone Assessor installation can be carried out alongside the built-in Assessor scans if you should encounter any of the above requirements.

CIS-CAT Pro Assessor v4 can be downloaded from CIS WorkBench with a valid SecureSuite Membership:
https://workbench.cisecurity.org/download/cis-cat/pro

Keywords; Assessor Dashboard v3

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