Ethical Hacking Questions
Password cracking techniques in ethical hacking refer to the methods used to gain unauthorized access to password-protected systems or accounts. These techniques involve attempting to guess or uncover passwords through various means, with the intention of identifying vulnerabilities and improving security.
There are several common password cracking techniques used in ethical hacking:
1. Brute Force Attack: This technique involves systematically trying all possible combinations of characters until the correct password is found. It is a time-consuming process but can be effective if the password is weak or short.
2. Dictionary Attack: In this technique, a list of commonly used passwords or words from a dictionary is used to guess the password. It is based on the assumption that many users choose easily guessable passwords.
3. Hybrid Attack: This technique combines elements of both brute force and dictionary attacks. It involves using a combination of dictionary words and characters to guess the password.
4. Rainbow Table Attack: A rainbow table is a precomputed table of encrypted passwords and their corresponding plaintext forms. This technique involves comparing the encrypted password with the entries in the rainbow table to find a match.
5. Phishing: Phishing is a social engineering technique where attackers trick users into revealing their passwords by posing as a legitimate entity. This can be done through fake websites or emails that appear to be from trusted sources.
6. Keylogging: Keyloggers are malicious software or hardware that record keystrokes on a computer or device. By capturing the user's keystrokes, including passwords, attackers can gain unauthorized access to systems or accounts.
It is important to note that ethical hackers use these techniques with proper authorization and for legitimate purposes, such as identifying weaknesses in security systems and helping organizations improve their defenses against malicious hackers.