How can one understand 348 billion hashes per second? The testing was used on a collection of password hashes using LM and NTLM protocols.

I chose to start with a set of unsalted MD5 hashes because the MD5 hash function was built for speed -- which means that basic MD5 hashes are also easy to crack (and are generally not recommended ...

For instance, a password made of 13 numbers would take the graphics cards 3 years to crack, but add in just one more number and that rises to 28 years, then add another and it rises to 284.

So, in order to make that password hash work, you have to run the algorithm 1,000 times for each guess. That’s roughly the tactic that the modern, secure password hashes take.

Passwords can be compromised in many ways, including social engineering, key logging, guessing, and cracking. Cracking implies that the password hacker was able to obtain the password’s hash ...

Hackers can crack weak passwords in seconds, while strong ones may take years. Learn about the time to crack your password and boost security.

What’s to be done? The Password Hashing Competition is the brainchild of a group of leading security and cryptography experts, including some leading figures in the online password cracking scene.

The password table generally simulates how long it would take to crack a password of various lengths and complexities using brute force, so to speak.

A search for “Hash Hunters” turns up marijuana-themed t-shirts for sale. It also brings up a password-cracking outsourcing service, payable in bitcoin. Fearing data breaches, Web services ...

If the password is strong enough, the hash can’t usually be cracked, since the more secure a password is, the more difficult it is to crack.