Kali Linux Penetration Testing Bible

CHAPTER 13Cryptography and Hash Cracking

One of the best topics in the cybersecurity field is cracking passwords. It's a special feeling of happiness when you get a shell or crack a password (get its cleartext value). You'll learn a lot in this chapter, so prepare yourself for a long one. In the first section of this chapter, we will walk through the basics of cryptography so you can understand what you're dealing with. In the second part of the chapter, you will see how to take the knowledge acquired in the first section and crack those secrets (e.g., hashes).

In this chapter, you will learn about the following:

• Basics of cryptography
• Hashing
• Encryption
• Hashcat usage

Basics of Cryptography

Unfortunately, people think that this is a complex topic. Don't worry; you will learn about every well‐known cryptography algorithm in practice. Your job as a professional in any security field category will require you to understand the basics of this topic. If you're hesitant about it, you won't have the self‐confidence to do your job in the right way. Rest assured that when you finish this chapter, you will be ready to start using cryptography in your career.

Cryptography has been used for thousands of years to hide secret messages. And guess what? It is still used heavily in our modern technology.

What about crypto techniques in our modern age? Well, you're going to encounter most of them in this chapter. So if you're a penetration tester, you need to know how to hack and take advantage ...