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Mastering Hashcat Complete Guide

This guide provides comprehensive instructions on using Hashcat, a powerful password recovery tool that supports various hash types and attack modes. It covers installation, basic syntax, different attack strategies, advanced usage, and best practices for optimizing performance. The document also includes examples and resources to help users master Hashcat effectively.

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parajulidavid51
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6 views

Mastering Hashcat Complete Guide

This guide provides comprehensive instructions on using Hashcat, a powerful password recovery tool that supports various hash types and attack modes. It covers installation, basic syntax, different attack strategies, advanced usage, and best practices for optimizing performance. The document also includes examples and resources to help users master Hashcat effectively.

Uploaded by

parajulidavid51
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Mastering Hashcat: From Beginner to Advanced

Introduction

Hashcat is a powerful and versatile password recovery tool that supports hundreds of hash
types and utilizes the power of GPUs for fast cracking. This guide covers everything from
basic usage to advanced techniques and optimization, turning you into a Hashcat master.

Chapter 1: Getting Started

What is Hashcat?

Hashcat is a command-line password recovery tool that supports brute-force, dictionary,


mask, hybrid, and rule-based attacks. It supports both CPU and GPU acceleration.

Installing Hashcat

On Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):

sudo apt update

sudo apt install hashcat

On Windows:

1. Download from https://hashcat.net/hashcat/

2. Extract and run from the command line.

Basic Syntax

hashcat -m <mode> -a <attack mode> -o <output file> <hash file> <wordlist>

Common Hash Modes

Hash Type Mode

MD5 0

SHA1 100

SHA256 1400

NTLM 1000

bcrypt 3200
Hash Type Mode

Chapter 2: Attack Modes

1. Dictionary Attack (-a 0)

hashcat -m 0 -a 0 hashes.txt rockyou.txt

2. Brute-Force Attack (-a 3)

hashcat -m 0 -a 3 hashes.txt ?a?a?a?a?a?a

?a = any character, length 6

3. Combinator Attack (-a 1)

hashcat -m 0 -a 1 hashes.txt dict1.txt dict2.txt

4. Mask Attack (-a 3)

hashcat -m 0 -a 3 hashes.txt ?l?l?l?d?d?d

Lowercase + digits (e.g., abc123)

5. Hybrid Attack (-a 6/-a 7)

hashcat -m 0 -a 6 hashes.txt dict.txt ?d?d

hashcat -m 0 -a 7 hashes.txt ?d?d dict.txt

Chapter 3: Rule-Based Attacks

Using Rules

Hashcat allows you to modify words using rules.

hashcat -m 0 -a 0 -r rules/best64.rule hashes.txt rockyou.txt

Common Rule Files

 best64.rule

 dive.rule

 generated.rule
Chapter 4: Advanced Usage

Hashcat Mask Explanation

 ?l = lowercase

 ?u = uppercase

 ?d = digit

 ?s = special character

 ?a = all characters

Tuning Performance

hashcat -I # Show available devices

hashcat -w 3 # Set workload profile (1 to 4)

hashcat -O # Enable optimized kernel (faster, but limited)

Pause & Resume

hashcat --pause

hashcat --resume

hashcat --restore

Chapter 5: Cracking Examples

Example 1: MD5 + Dictionary

hashcat -m 0 -a 0 hashes.txt wordlists/rockyou.txt

Example 2: NTLM + Mask

hashcat -m 1000 -a 3 hashes.txt ?l?l?l?l?d?d

Example 3: SHA1 + Rules

hashcat -m 100 -a 0 -r rules/dive.rule hashes.txt rockyou.txt

Example 4: minimum and max length


hashcat -m 0 -a 3 -i --increment-min=6 --increment-max=10
53ab03ff8ecc7d5a18b4416d00568fo2 ?1?1?1?1?1?1?1?1?1?

example 5: length

Hashcat -a 3 -m 0 md5_hashes.txt ?1?1?1?d?d?d

The password pattern appears to be ?1?1?1?d?d?d

-a -> specifies the attack mode, which is 3 here (brute force attacks)

-m -> specifies the hash type, which is 0 here (md5)

Chapter 6: Tips & Best Practices

 Use GPU for high-speed cracking

 Split large wordlists

 Benchmark using hashcat -b

 Automate with shell scripts

 Check cracked hashes with --show

Chapter 7: Tools & Resources

 Wordlists: https://github.com/danielmiessler/SecLists

 Rules: https://github.com/hashcat/hashcat/tree/master/rules

 Cheat Sheet: https://hashcat.net/wiki/

Final Thoughts

Mastering Hashcat takes practice, experimentation, and a deep understanding of hash types
and attack strategies. Use this guide to develop your skills and become a proficient
password cracker.

Happy Cracking!

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