(Jan 30, 2023 08:09 PM)herooftommorow Wrote:  +1, thanks for the back to basics article

(Jan 30, 2023 07:53 AM)TheCuriousCoyote Wrote:  

What is Brute Forcing?

Brute forcing is the process of guessing a password by trying every possible combination of characters until the correct password is found. You can use automated tools to generate and try different combinations of characters until the correct password is found. Brute forcing can be used to attack various types of systems and services, including login pages, encryption keys, and network services. It's important to know though that brute forcing is not a reliable or an efficient method of cracking passwords, as it often requires trying an extremely large number of possibilities, and is also prone to triggering security mechanisms such as account lockouts or rate limiting.

How do you Brute Force?

1. Choose a tool. There are many tools available for performing brute force attacks, including commercial and open-source tools. Choose a tool that is appropriate for your needs and that you are familiar with.

2. Choose a password list. In order to perform a brute force attack, you'll need to have a list of possible passwords that you want to try. This can be a list of commonly used passwords, a list of dictionary words, or a custom list that you have created.

3. Configure the tool. Once you've chosen a tool and a password list, you'll need to configure the tool with the necessary options and parameters. This may include specifying the target IP address or hostname, the target port, the username, and the password list.

4. Start the brute force attack. Once you've configured the tool, you can start the brute force attack by clicking the "Start" button or by running the tool from the command line. The tool will start trying passwords from the password list until the correct password is found or all passwords have been tried.

5. Stop the brute force attack. Once the correct password has been found, you should stop the brute force attack. You may also want to stop the attack if you determine that it is not likely to find the correct password or if the attack is causing an unacceptable amount of strain on the target system.

It's important to remember that brute force attacks can be time-consuming and may cause an unacceptable amount of strain on the target system. They should be used only as a last resort and only with the proper permissions and consent, such as when ethical hacking.

What Brute Forcing Tools are Available?

John the Ripper: An open-source tool for cracking passwords by trying different combinations of characters.

THC Hydra: A popular open-source tool for cracking passwords on various types of systems, including web applications, databases, and network services.

Ncrack: A free and open-source tool for brute forcing network services, including remote desktop protocols, SSH, and Telnet.

Aircrack-ng: A suite of open-source tools for cracking wireless network keys by brute forcing the WPA/WPA2 encryption keys.

Hashcat: A powerful open-source tool for cracking password hashes using various methods, including brute force.

Metasploit: A framework for penetration testing that includes modules for performing brute force attacks against various types of systems and services.