How do hackers get hashed passwords

Hashed passwords are widely used to protect user credentials by encrypting them in a way that’s difficult to reverse. However, despite these security measures, hackers can still access hashed passwords through various methods. Here’s how hackers typically go about obtaining hashed passwords and what they do to potentially decrypt them. Ethical hacker freelance

How Hackers Access Hashed Passwords in Cyber Security

1. Database Breaches

• What It Is: Databases store user credentials and sensitive information, often including hashed passwords.
• How Hackers Use It: By exploiting vulnerabilities in the database or website, hackers can gain unauthorized access to large sets of user data. Once they have access, they download the database and extract the hashed passwords.

2. SQL Injection Attacks

• What It Is: SQL injection is a code injection technique that allows hackers to interfere with an application’s database queries.
• How Hackers Use It: By inserting malicious SQL code into a vulnerable input field on a website, hackers can retrieve sensitive data, including hashed passwords. This type of attack is effective against poorly secured websites and can allow hackers to bypass authentication and access stored password hashes.

3. Phishing Attacks

• What It Is: Phishing involves tricking users into sharing their credentials.
• How Hackers Use It: Although not a direct method for getting hashed passwords, phishing can lead hackers to credentials that they later hash and compare against database entries to determine if they’re correct. With access to an admin account, for example, they might retrieve hashed passwords for other users.

4. Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attacks

• What It Is: MITM attacks allow hackers to intercept data exchanged between a user and a service.
• How Hackers Use It: During the exchange of login credentials, especially over unencrypted connections, hackers can intercept and capture hashed passwords being transmitted, enabling them to save and later attempt to decrypt or brute-force the hashes.

5. Accessing Backup Files and Logs

• What It Is: Some systems store backup files, logs, or even configuration files containing hashed passwords.
• How Hackers Use It: By obtaining access to a system’s backup or log files, hackers might discover stored hashed passwords. This can happen if backups are not secured or if logging practices inadvertently save sensitive data.

What Hackers Do with Hashed Passwords

Once hackers acquire hashed passwords, their work is only partially done; they still need to convert these hashes back to the original plain text password, or otherwise gain access. Here’s how they try to accomplish this:

1. Brute-Force Attacks

• What It Is: A brute-force attack involves systematically guessing every possible password until the correct one is found.
• How Hackers Use It: Hackers use powerful computers or botnets to repeatedly hash different guesses and compare them to the target hash. For shorter or simple passwords, this method can be effective, though it’s time-intensive.

2. Dictionary Attacks

• What It Is: This type of attack uses a list of common passwords and phrases, hashing each and comparing it to the target hash.
• How Hackers Use It: By using pre-computed dictionaries containing millions of hashed versions of commonly used passwords, hackers can quickly find matches for weak passwords in databases. This method is faster than brute-forcing as it relies on common choices.

3. Rainbow Table Attacks

• What It Is: Rainbow tables are pre-computed tables with hashed passwords for common values, making it easier to look up matches rather than calculate them each time.
• How Hackers Use It: Hackers use rainbow tables to reverse-engineer hashed passwords quickly. With access to these tables, they can find matches for poorly hashed or unsalted passwords rapidly.

4. Exploiting Weak Hashing Algorithms

• What It Is: Some older or less secure hashing algorithms, like MD5 or SHA-1, are faster to crack because they have known vulnerabilities.
• How Hackers Use It: When hackers encounter hashed passwords using outdated algorithms, they have an easier time breaking them compared to stronger algorithms like bcrypt or Argon2. They use specific cracking tools optimized for weaker algorithms to speed up decryption.

Protecting Your Passwords from Being Compromised

Here’s how to safeguard your credentials and make it difficult for hackers to succeed:

1. Use Strong Hashing Algorithms: Ensure passwords are hashed with secure, modern algorithms like bcrypt or Argon2, which are intentionally slow to resist brute-force attacks.
2. Implement Salting: Salts are random values added to passwords before hashing, ensuring that identical passwords have unique hashes and are harder to match in a database.
3. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Even if a password is compromised, MFA adds an extra layer of security.
4. Educate Users About Phishing: Educating users on avoiding phishing attacks can reduce risks, as phishing often leads to database compromise.
5. Secure Backup Files and Logs: Encrypt backup files, and avoid logging sensitive information that could expose hashed passwords.

By understanding how hackers obtain and exploit hashed passwords, you can take proactive steps to better protect your online accounts and data.