Friday, September 2, 2011

Hash Murder: Statistical Password Breaking

Joe DeMesy implemented an MPI-based parallel password hashing program as the semester project for my Parallel Programming class this semester.  There have been many parallel password breaking programs implemented before, but what makes Joe's implementation unique is how trial passwords are generated.  In his report, he details how he used statistical analysis of known human passwords (from Sony and Grokker leaks) to prioritize what passwords are attempted.  Using this prioritization, he is able to crack a password much faster than the standard random implementation.

You can find Joe's code here.

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