In the spirit of DEF CON and a week of hacking, Tech Talker covers one question he gets asked all the time: How do you 'crack' a password?
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April 7, 2016
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How to Crack a Password like a Hacker
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Hey, everyone! I’m writing this podcast after a great week at DEF CON!
DEF CON is one of the largest hacking conferences in the world, where hackers from across the globe gather to share ideas, listen to leading security experts, and compete in ruthless hacking contests.
In the spirit of DEF CON and my week of hacking, I’m going to cover one question that I get asked all the time: How do you 'crack' a password?
To answer that, I’m going to take you through the steps a hacker would use to break your password--so that you can avoid some of the pitfalls that would make you an easy target to any password cracker out there.
What's a Hash?
First, let’s talk about how passwords are stored. If a website or program is storing your password--like Google, Facebook or anywhere that you have an online account--the password is generally stored in the form of a hash. A hash is basically a secure way of storing passwords based upon math.
A hash is also a way of scrambling a password--so if you know the trick, you can easily unscramble it. It would be similar to hiding a key to your house in your front yard: if you knew where the key was, it would take you only a few seconds to find it. However, if you didn’t know where the key was it would probably take you a long time to find it.
The 2 Types of Hacker Attacks
Now, let’s break down password attacks into two different types: online and offline.
Offline attacks are where a hacker can take a password hash, copy it, and take it home with them to work on. Online attacks require the attacker trying to login to your online account to go to the specific website they are targeting.
Online attacks on secure websites are very difficult for a hacker, because these types of sites will limit the number of times an attacker can try a password. This has probably happened to you if you’ve forgotten your password and been locked out of your account. This system is actually designed to protect you from hackers who are trying billions of guesses to figure out your password.
![How To Crack A Game How To Crack A Game](/uploads/1/2/4/8/124888000/761131588.jpg)
An online attack would be like if you tried to search for someone’s hidden key in their front yard while they were home. If you looked in a few places, it probably wouldn’t look too odd; however, if you spent all day in front of the house, you’d be spotted and told to leave right away!
In the case of an online attack, a hacker would most likely do a lot of research on a particular target to see if they could find any identifying information about them, such as children’s names, birthdays, significant others, old addresses, etc. From there, an attacker could try a handful of targeted passwords that would have a higher success rate than just random guesses.
Offline attacks are much more sinister, and don’t offer this protection. Offline attacks take place when an encrypted file, such as a PDF or document, is intercepted, or when a hashed key is transferred (as is the case with WiFi.) If you copy an encrypted file or hashed password, an attacker can take this key home with them and try to crack it at their leisure.
Although this may sound awful, it’s not as bad as you may think. Password hashes are almost always 'one-way functions.' In English, this just means that you can perform a series of scrambles of your password that are next to impossible to reverse. This makes finding a password pretty darn difficult.
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Items you will need
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Clean cloth
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Baking soda toothpaste
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Cotton swab
It's a situation that is all too common: You pop your favorite video game disc into your console or computer only find that it doesn't work. When you check the disc out, you realize it has a big crack in it. If the crack is deep, there is usually no hope in saving it. You can repair small cracks, however, with just a few common household items.
Check the disc to find out what the problem is. You may want to try putting other discs in your console to make sure it is just the disc and not the console itself. If it is the disc, inspect it to find where all of the cracks are.
Make sure the disc is free of dust and debris. Wipe the disc in strokes, not in circular motions, with the cloth.
Apply a bit of toothpaste to a cotton swab. Gently rub the toothpaste on the crack in circular motions. You are essentially buffing out the crack with the toothpaste. You might see little scratches forming, but if the deeper crack is becoming less prominent, then you are doing it correctly. Do not apply too much pressure, as you might break the disc.
When you have diminished the size of the crack, dip a clean cloth into a bit of water and gently wash off the toothpaste. Dry the disc off.
Test the disc by putting it into your computer or game console. If you are having the same issue, try the toothpaste method again.
Tips
Use a gritty toothpaste, not a gel toothpaste, to buff out cracks.
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