Beginners guide to hacking and penetration testing (2017)

Password cracking:

When it comes to password cracking there is no shortage of tools and techniques to break into computers, websites, email accounts, phones, and anything else that has a password protection. We will be looking at some techniques that can be employed in bypassing passwords on various devices and services.

*Note*

It should be noted that any "hacking" tool will likely flag your anti-virus. You will need to make your own determination as to how confident you feel in using it.

Nirsoft http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/nirlauncher.html

Nirsoft has some 200+ tools packaged into one suite of tools that can be unzipped to a USB drive for portable use. The great thing about this, aside from having a ton of tools is that it does not require any installation.

Launching the program we can see a number of utilities, we are going to view some of the Password options.

In the example above we clicked on the WirelessKeyView. This tool will scan the wireless network that the computer is currently connected to and display the network name, key type, Hex key, Ascii key, etc.

This is a very quick and easy tool to show passwords.

Also included in this suite are password crackers for Firefox, Chrome, Outlook, Windows, VNC, Remote Desktop, and many more.

Konboot http://piotrbania.com/all/kon-boot/

Konboot is a very simple USB boot tool to operate and will wo

John the Ripper http://www.openwall.com/john/

John the Ripper is generally a well-liked password cracking tool that is bundled with Kali Linux. This tool is available for Linux, OS X, and Windows. John uses a dictionary attack (A dictionary attack uses a list of words) to crack password.

Hydra https://www.thc.org/thc-hydra/

Hydra is another long standing password cracker that is currently bundled with Kali Linux. Hydra can be used for remote password cracking.

Locations:

Sometimes cracking a password is as simple as reading a sticky note. If you have physical access to the area check around the desk, computer, screen, keyboard, under the keyboard, etc. Even high ranking individuals have been known to write down their passwords in plain sight.

Bypass a OS X Password:

This trick can be used to bypass a OSX Password and has been tested on a fully patched macOS Sierra Version 10.12.3. You will need physical access to the computer, however this can be done within a few minutes.

Step 1: Power on the Mac and press the Command + R key until you see the Apple logo

Step 2: When you see the Mac OS X Utilities screen click on Utilities then Terminal (On the top)

Step 3: Type the following into the terminal: resetpassword and then press Enter

Step 4: You will now be prompted to select the account and you will be able to reset the password