It is now commonplace to use encryption algorithms to prevent unauthorized access to computer data. Even many novice computer users are able to benefit from the use of encryption. If we have something we wish to keep private from others but that we may also need access to in the future, we often use the password protection built into editing or compression programs. More advanced users frequently employ sophisticated dedicated solely to encryption, which can cost tens or even hundreds of dollars. Such applications are becoming increasingly popular as users recognize the need for privacy. It’s no surprise, because just as the number of opportunities provided by the internet has grown, so has the number of potential threats. Ultimately nearly all users will wish to acquire the tools necessary to secure their accumulated data so that nobody except the owner will have access to them.Are password-encrypted data secure enough? This is one of the questions that occur to nearly every computer user. As time passes and new technologies appear, the answer to this question becomes more difficult. That’s because despite the appearance of newer and more secure methods, no-one can be certain that their current security methods can’t be broken. Just as some people are constantly working on newer and more effective forms of security, others are constantly working to break them. As a result, very few of the encryption methods that human ingenuity has devised will prove to be reliable long-term protection for a broad variety of data.
So how can we check the security of our data? What do we do if we have have lost or forgotten the password? The answer should be obvious – we have to try to crack our own security! By using applications that allow us to discover our forgotten password and recover useful data, we will discover how easy it would be for an intruder to do this. This process will be helpful in creating a more secure password.
Unfortunately, at the moment of writing there is no free software available for Unix systems that could help us perform these tasks. So the only option available to us is to use an application designed for closed systems. Such applications usually are not free, meaning that their availability to the average user is severely limited. We will, however, try to describe the most popular tools and indicate approximately how to crack the password.
To do this, we will use a software package developed by Elcomsoft that includes a broad range of applications and available functions. Among these commercial programs is the Advanced Password recovery series, which, however, is also available in a shareware version (with slightly limited functionality), making it particularly useful to us.
The interface of the shareware version is no different from the commercial version, so once we have described examples of two applications for cracking passwords to RAR archives and DOC files, readers should be able to use other applications in this series without difficulty. The shareware versions are fully functional for 30 days after installation. The applications are available from the following address: elcomsoft.com
Using Advanced RAR Password Recovery
This program allows you to recover lost or forgotten passwords to ZIP, ARJ, RAR and ACE archives. The program supports the customizable “brute-force” attack, dictionary-based attack, known-plaintext attack, and guaranteed recovery for most WinZip archives. It supports strong WinZip encryption (AES).
You can read more about Advanced RAR Password Recovery here: ARCHPRThis program allows you to recover lost or forgotten passwords to files and documents created in Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, Project, Money, PowerPoint, Visio, Publisher, Backup, Schedule+ and Mail. It uses the same recovering methods as the application above.
You can read more about Advanced Office Password Recovery here: AOPR