Background History of Cracking passwords

The passwords for the system to perform the verification of password access computer systems are typically stored in any way., In a database to improve the confidentiality of passwords, the stored password verification data by applying general a one-way function of the password can be achieved in combination with other available data. For ease of discussion, when the one-way function is not a secret key that is not the point of the password now, we used a hash and its output of the hash function as a one-way password. Although the functions that create hashed passwords may be cryptographically secure, is in possession of a hash key for a quick way to check the estimates for the password for the application of the function of each proposal, and results with the test data. The most commonly used hash functions can be computed quickly and the attacker can do this several times with different valid until a match is found assumptions, meaning that the password in plaintext recovered.

Password Cracking term is generally limited to the confiscation of one or more hash passwords unencrypted passwords. Password cracking requires an attacker to access an encrypted password, or by reading the password verification database or intercepting a hashed password in a public network, or another way to limit quickly and test, if a password he guesses correctly. Without the hashed password, the attacker can still access attacking the computer system in question to guess passwords. However, well designed to limit the number of failed access attempts and can alert administrators to track the source of the attack systems, if the quota is exceeded. With the hashed password, the attacker can go unnoticed for cracking at least a high enough work, and if the attacker has obtained several hashed passwords, most likely. There are also many other ways to get illegal, such as social engineering, wiretapping, keystroke logging, login spoofing, dumpster diving, time attack, etc .. However, cracking usually designates a password attack riddles.

Cracking can be combined with other techniques. For example, the use of an authentication method based on challenge-response password hash to control a password hash algorithm for a spy, then specify the password can break. A number of strong cryptographic hash does not exist protocols for password checking in a network, either by protecting the transmission using a button or by using high quality password zero knowledge test exposures.