Example of Hashcat Password Cracking
Summary
hashcatis a tool that can be used to crack passwords:
🔐 Hashcat Brute-Force Attack Example
hashcat -m 1400 -i -a 3 -w 4 --increment-min=8 --increment-max=8 eca8e05d94c236e78c389e15e1cad71ff9326bdfa5e1d79d92766f38414e66e5 ?1?1?1?1?1?1?1?1 -1 ?l?d -v🧩 Description
This hashcat command performs a brute-force attack on a given SHA-256 hash using custom character sets and a high workload configuration. It tries all possible 8-character combinations made from lowercase letters and digits.
🔍 Breakdown of Command Options
| Option | Meaning |
|---|---|
-m 1400 | Specifies SHA-256 hash mode. |
-i | Enables incremental mode (used with length range). |
-a 3 | Attack mode 3 = brute-force/mask attack. |
-w 4 | Use highest workload profile (fastest, most resource-intensive). |
--increment-min=8 | Minimum password length to try: 8 characters. |
--increment-max=8 | Maximum password length to try: 8 characters (fixed length). |
eca8...e66e5 | Target SHA-256 hash to be cracked. |
?1?1?1?1?1?1?1?1 | Mask: eight positions, each using custom charset ?1. |
-1 ?l?d | Custom charset ?1: all lowercase letters (?l) and digits (?d). |
-v | Enables verbose output to show detailed cracking status. |
🎯 What It Does
- Attempts every combination of 8-character passwords.
- Characters used: lowercase letters (a–z) and digits (0–9).
- Uses a high-performance workload profile to speed up cracking.
- Prints progress details in verbose mode.
💡 Example Use Case
You’re given a suspected SHA-256 hash of an 8-character password known to consist of letters and digits (e.g., abc123de). You run this command to try all such combinations using your GPU.
✅ Pro Tip: Brute-force attacks on 8-character masks with mixed sets can take a long time depending on hardware. Use rainbow tables or dictionary attacks when possible to reduce time.
🔐 Hashcat Examples: Cracking NetNTLMv2 Hashes (Mode 5600)
📘 Hash Type
NetNTLMv2 uses Hashcat mode: 5600.
🔨 Example 1: Brute-Force Attack
hashcat -m 5600 -a 3 -o ~/Documents/NetNTMLv2_Cracked.txt --increment --increment-min=8 --increment-max=12 ?l?l?l?l?l?l?l?l?l?l?l?l🔍 Explanation
| Option | Meaning |
|---|---|
-m 5600 | Selects hash mode for NetNTLMv2. |
-a 3 | Sets attack mode to brute-force (mask). |
-o ~/Documents/... | Outputs cracked hashes to this file. |
--increment | Enables incremental length search. |
--increment-min=8 | Minimum length: 8 characters. |
--increment-max=12 | Maximum length: 12 characters. |
?l... | Mask of lowercase letters (?l) for each position (up to 12). |
⏱️ Estimated Time
ETA: ~3 hours (depends on system performance and GPU).
📚 Example 2: Dictionary Attack with Status Feedback
hashcat -m 5600 -a 0 -o ~/Documents/NetNTMLv2_Cracked.txt --status --status-timer 10 hash.txt ~/Desktop/rockyou.txt🔍 Explanation
| Option | Meaning |
|---|---|
-m 5600 | NetNTLMv2 hash type. |
-a 0 | Attack mode 0 = straight (dictionary) attack. |
-o | Save output to cracked file. |
--status | Enable status updates during cracking. |
--status-timer 10 | Show status every 10 seconds. |
hash.txt | File containing hashes to crack. |
rockyou.txt | Dictionary wordlist for cracking. |
✅ Use Cases
- Use Example 1 when the password length and charset are unknown but you’re sure it’s alphanumeric lowercase and within 8–12 characters.
- Use Example 2 for faster attacks when you have a dictionary (like
rockyou.txt) and believe the password is common.
Pro Tip
💡 Always start with a dictionary attack before using brute-force—it’s exponentially faster.