Computer Science Homework Help

In cryptanalysis and computer security, password cracking is the process of recovering passwords from data that have been stored in or transmitted by a computer system. A common approach (brute-force attack) is to repeatedly try guesses for the password. The purpose of password cracking might be to help a user recover a forgotten password (though installing an entirely new password is less of a security risk, but involves System Administration privileges), to gain unauthorized access to a system, or as a preventive measure by System Administrators to check for easily crackable passwords. On a file-by-file basis, password cracking is utilized to gain access to digital evidence for which a judge has allowed access but the particular file’s access is restricted.

Purpose

John the Ripper (JtR) is a well-known password auditing program. Use JtR to crack sample passwords provided in the project.

Directions

1. Read and execute the instructions for Hands-on Project 1 starting on page 274.
2. Write a paper describing your experience and project results. Describe challenges you encountered.