Password Cracking is a process in which a malicious actor attempts to gain access to a computer system or network by discovering system password information. It is done by try to guess passwords with various techniques such as brute-force attack, dictionary attack, or rainbow attack.
Brute-force attack is the process where a program attempts to guess passwords by systematically trying out every potential combination of characters. This is a very time consuming process and it can take very long for a program to break a password.
Dictionary attack is the process of breaking a password by trying out combinations of words found in a dictionary. This type of attack is often very fast and can allow an attacker to gain access to a system or account within a short amount of time.
Rainbow attack is a form of password cracking which uses lists of pre-computed hashes of likely passwords – called rainbow tables. Rainbow tables are useful when a hacker is able to capture hashes and then match them to known passwords.
Password cracking can be done very easily with modern computers and specialized software. It is important to be aware that passwords must be securely stored and that you use strong passwords that are not easily guessed.
