Hacking For Dummies, 6th Edition

Chapter 8

Passwords

IN THIS CHAPTER

Identifying password vulnerabilities

Examining password-hacking tools and techniques

Hacking operating system passwords

Hacking password-protected files

Protecting your systems from password hacking

Password hacking is one of the easiest and most common ways that attackers obtain unauthorized network, computer, or application access. You often hear about it in the headlines, and study after study, such as the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, reaffirms that weak passwords are at the root of many security problems. I have trouble wrapping my head around the fact that I’m still talking about (and businesses are suffering from) weak passwords, but that fact is a reality. As an information security testing professional, you can certainly do your part to minimize the risks.

Although strong passwords — ideally, longer, stronger passphrases, which are difficult to crack (or guess) — are easy to create and maintain, network administrators ...