how to HACK a password // password cracking with Kali Linux and HashCat

The video demonstrates how to hack into a server by cracking its password, specifically targeting the coffee server. The objective is to gain access using the known username 'dwight.schrute' while attempting to discover the corresponding password. This exercise serves educational purposes only and emphasizes ethical hacking practices—encouraging viewers not to attempt unauthorized hacks on others’ servers. A challenge is presented at the end of the session with rewards for those who successfully complete it, alongside a mention of IT Pro TV as an essential resource for learning hacking skills.

Brute-force password hacking can be tedious, involving trying every possible combination until the correct one is found. This traditional method, exemplified by repeatedly guessing a simple password like '0000', is inefficient and time-consuming. Instead of manual attempts that could take years, there are automated tools available to streamline this process significantly. One such tool is Hydra, which allows for more effective brute force attacks on passwords.

Hydra is a powerful tool for conducting online attacks by attempting to guess passwords on live systems. Instead of trying every possible password, it utilizes a dictionary attack method where users provide a list of likely passwords. A notable resource available in Kali Linux is the RockYou password list, which contains 14 million common passwords leaked from a hack in 2009. Users can also create their own custom word lists tailored to specific targets and specify usernames and services like SSH when executing commands with Hydra.

Understanding Password Hashing and Security Password hashing is a method used to secure user passwords by converting them into complex strings of characters, known as hashes. When Dwight Schrute created his password "bears beats," the server hashed it using algorithms like MD5 or SHA-256 before storing it in its database. This means that even if hackers access the stored data, they cannot easily retrieve the original password since it's not saved in plain text.

Offline Cracking: Brute Force Against Hashed Passwords To crack a hashed password offline, one can use brute force methods instead of attempting multiple logins on a server. By taking potential passwords from a list and running them through the same hashing algorithm used for storage (like MD5), an attacker checks each resulting hash against the target hash until finding a match. For example, after testing various combinations with no success, discovering that "bears beats" produces an identical hash reveals Dwight's actual password.

Using Hashcat to Crack Passwords Efficiently Hashcat is a powerful tool for cracking passwords using a word list and hash files. To begin, create a file containing the hashes from Linux's shadow file and prepare your password list. The basic command structure involves specifying attack mode (option zero for dictionary attacks), hashing type (like SHA-512 or NTLM), output filename, and input files with hashes and word lists. After executing the command, Hashcat quickly identifies potential passwords from the provided options.

Cracking Windows Passwords Using Specific Hashtags For Windows-based password cracking with Hashcat, specify NTLM as the hashing type during setup. Input one specific hash directly instead of using an entire file if needed; this allows focused attempts on known values in conjunction with your word list. Upon execution, check session status to confirm successful cracks while reviewing stored results in designated output files like crackpasswords.txt.

A challenge is presented to crack server passwords using newly learned skills. Participants can win coffee by being among the first five to succeed, with a timeframe of one or two weeks for submissions. The process involves online password cracking via Hydra and offline methods using Hashcat on powerful PCs capable of handling extensive word lists. Emphasis is placed on ethical hacking; participants are encouraged only to hack their own systems or those explicitly permitted, highlighting the importance of legality in these activities.