Three password deciphering techniques and how to defend against them

February 26, 2025The hacker newsIdentity protection / password

Passwords are rarely appreciated until a safety violation occurs; It is enough that the importance of a safe password is clear only when faced with the consequences of a weak. However, most end users are unaware how vulnerable are their passwords to the most common password cracking methods. The following are the three common techniques to crack the passwords and how to defend themselves with them.

Brute force attack

Brute force attacks are simple but highly effective techniques to crack passwords. These attacks involve malicious actors that use automated tools to systematically test all possible password combinations through repeated login attempts. While such tools have existed for years, the advent of computer power and affordable storage has made them even more efficient today, especially when weak passwords are used.

How it works

When it comes to brute force attacks, malicious actors use a variety of tactics, from simple brute force attacks that test all possible password combinations to more nuanced approaches such as hybrid and inverse attacks of gross force. Each method has a different strategy behind this, but the reasons behind gross force attacks are the same: obtain unauthorized access to protected data or resources.

Some popular automated tools to carry out brute force attacks include:

• John The Ripper: A multiplatform password cookie with support for 15 different operating systems and hundreds of hashes and types of encryption
• L0phtcrack: A tool that uses rainbow tables, dictionaries and multiprocessor algorithms to decipher Windows passwords
• Hashcat: A cracking/password recovery utility that supports five unique attack modes for more than 300 highly optimized hashing algorithms

Examples

In August 2021, the American mobile operator T-Mobile was the victim of a rape That began with a brute force attack. The security commitment resulted in more than 37 million customer records containing confidential data such as social security numbers, driver’s license information and other personal identification data.

Defense measures

Users must choose strong and complex passwords and multifactor authentication (MFA) to protect against brute force attacks. Administrators must implement accounts lock policies and continuously audit their Windows environments for weak and violated passwords. Tools like Specops password auditor You can automate these processes in expansive IT environments.

Dictionary attack

In a password dictionary attack, cyber attackers try to obtain access using a list of passwords or common words of a dictionary. This predefined words list generally includes the most used words, phrases and combinations (that is, “admin123”). Password dictionary attacks underline the importance of complex and unique passwords, since these types of attack are especially effective against weak or easily divine passwords.

How it works

The process begins with the compilation of a list of potential passwords of data violations, common password lists or publicly available resources. Using an automated tool, the malicious actors perform a dictionary attack, systematically testing each password with a destination account or system. If a coincidence is found, the hacker can get access and carry out subsequent attacks or movements.

Examples

Malicious actors used password dictionaries to decipher HASH passwords in several high -profile security incidents, such as the 2013 Yahoo Data Breach and the 2012 LinkedIn Data Breach. This allowed them to steal the information of the account of billions of users.

Defense measures

When creating or Password restorationUsers should use a combination of letters, numbers and special characters, and avoid using common words or easily fortune -out phrases. Administrators can implement password complexity requirements in their policies To enforce these mandates throughout the organization.

Rainbow table attacks

An Iris rainbow attack uses a special table (that is, a “rainbow table) composed of pre -ppeded chains or passwords of common use and the corresponding hashes to decipher the password hash in a database.

How it works

The attacks of the rainbow table work exploiting chains of hashing operations and reduction to efficiently decipher Hash’s passwords. Potential passwords are questioned and stored first together with their text counterparts without format in the rainbow table, then they are processed with a reduction function that assigns them to new values, which results in a chain of hashes. This process is repeated several times to build the Rainbow table. When computer pirates get a HASH listThey can reverse the search for each hash value in the Rainbow table; Once a coincidence is identified, the text password is exposed without corresponding format.

Examples

While salation (a method to add random characters to passwords before hash) has reduced the effectiveness of the attacks of the rainbow table, many hashes remain without lime. In addition, advances in GPUs and affordable hardware have eliminated storage limitations once associated with rainbow tables. As a result, these attacks continue to be a probable tactic in current and future high profile cyber attacks.

Defense measures

As mentioned earlier, salty hashes have significantly reduced the effectiveness of pre -ppeded tables; Therefore, organizations must implement strong hash algorithms (for example, BCrypt, Scrypt) in their password processes. Administrators must also regularly update and rotate passwords to reduce the probability of coincidences/blows of the Rainbow table dictionary.

In summary, passwords are not perfect, but complex and long enough password phrases remain a vital first line of defense against advanced password cracking techniques. Tools like Specifications policy Provide an additional protection layer continuously scanning Active Directory in a database of more than 4 billion raped passwords. Contact us for a free demonstration today.