Password-cracking techniques – Rainbow tables, Spidering, network analysers
Some of the most common, and most effective, methods for stealing passwords
Malware, phishing, and social engineering are common terms in cyber security news stories, and it's fair to say that most people will have been on the receiving end of such attacks at some point.
However, there are a number of techniques that rarely get mentioned in reports, either because they are used behind the scenes or they only exist in conjunction with more recognisable attack types. Here's a handful of some of these more reclusive techniques.
7. Rainbow table attack
Whenever a password is stored on a system, it’s typically encrypted using a ‘hash’, or a cryptographic alias, making it impossible to determine the original password without the corresponding hash. In order to bypass this, hackers maintain and share directories that record passwords and their corresponding hashes, often built from previous hacks, reducing the time it takes to break into a system (used in brute force attacks).
Rainbow tables go one step further, as rather than simply providing a password and its hash, these store a precompiled list of all possible plain text versions of encrypted passwords based on a hash algorithm. Hackers are then able to compare these listings with any encrypted passwords they discover in a company’s system.
Much of the computation is done before the attack takes place, making it far easier and quicker to launch an attack, compared to other methods. The downside for cyber criminals is that the sheer volume of possible combinations means rainbow tables can be enormous, often hundreds of gigabytes in size.
8. Network analysers
Network analysers are tools that allow hackers to monitor and intercept data packets sent over a network and lift the plain text passwords contained within.
Such an attack requires the use of malware or physical access to a network switch, but it can prove highly effective. It doesn’t rely on exploiting a system vulnerability or network bug, and as such is applicable to most internal networks. It’s also common to use network analysers as part of the first phase of an attack, followed up with brute force attacks.
Of course, businesses can use these same tools to scan their own networks, which can be especially useful for running diagnostics or for troubleshooting. Using a network analyser, admins can spot what information is being transmitted in plain text, and put policies in place to prevent this from happening.
The only way to prevent this attack is to secure the traffic by routing it through a VPN or something similar.
9. Spidering
Spidering deploys very similar techniques to those used in social engineering and phishing attacks. Generally, it requires far more leg work on the part of the hacker, but also significantly increases the likelihood that an attack will be successful.
Spidering describes the process of a hacker getting to know their target, to the extent that they’re able to get credentials based on their activity. For example, many organisations run internal services with passwords that relate to their business in some way, mainly because this makes it easier to remember for employees.
If a hacker knows their target works for a particular company, they may take steps to try and access internal Wi-Fi networks or employee handbooks to further their understanding. They may also study the products that business creates in order to build a list of possible word combinations, which can be used later in a brute force attack.
Like many entries on this list, this process is usually underpinned by automation.
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