Password Cracker Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Password Cracker - Research Paper Example All the possible combinations of characters are tested against the encrypted passwords that are obtained in the brute-force dialog, in most of the tools that use brute force technique. We can understand this as a thief cracking a locked cupboard and trying different combinations of numbers. The key space of all possible combinations of passwords is calculated using the following formula: KS = L^(m) + L^(m+1) + L^(m+2) + ........ + L^(M) Let’s say that we want to crack LanManager passwords (LM) using the character set "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ" of 26 letters. In this case, the brute-force cracker will try the above formula in this way: KS = 26^1 + 26^2 + 26^3 + ...... + 26^7 = 8353082582 8353082582 is the number of different keys that the brute force cracker tool will try. Now let’s suppose that we want to crack the same password but this time the character set is â€Å"ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789!@#$%^&*()-_+=~`[]{}|\:;"',.?/". Then, using the same formula i n this case, the number of different keys to try rises to 6823331935124. An extensive key search cracking is a very time consuming task. However, if we are using the right character set, password cracking becomes a relatively easy process. Figure 1 shows a dialogue that asks the user to either put in a character set which is predefined or put in a customized character set. The initial password can also be altered to begin a previous attack again. There is another option of â€Å"key rate† that shows the number of keys that the attack attempts every second against all encrypted passwords that are loaded. â€Å"Time left† is the time remaining to complete the key space. "Current password" is the real key which is tested by the program. In the... The findings of this research will provide insight of Brute-force as one of the most powerful techniques to break plain authentications. TechTarget on the web defines brute-force technique as: â€Å"Brute force (also known as brute force cracking) is a trial and error method used by application programs to decode encrypted data such as passwords or Data Encryption Standard (DES) keys, through exhaustive effort (using brute force) rather than employing intellectual strategies.† A brute-force attack is the process of deciphering or decrypting an encrypted text by trying each possible key. The key length of the code and the attacker’s computational power is very important in every brute-force attack. The major shortcoming of brute force technique is that it requires too much time to try username and password combinations. Also, brute force attacks are very noisy meaning that they generate too much of traffic along with leaving some evidence of the attack. All the possible combinations of characters are tested against the encrypted passwords that are obtained in the brute-force dialog, in most of the tools that use brute force technique. We can understand this as a thief cracking a locked cupboard and trying different combinations of numbers. Social engineering technique is the oldest method of cracking a password and is done through simple, rogue manipulation of trusting persons. The need of the hour is to spread user awareness and train the employees so that they are able to protect their networks and critical passwords.

An analysis of the culture of an organization Essay - 1

An analysis of the culture of an organization - Essay Example 2- introduction of Apple Inc: Apple Inc. is one of the America’s leading multinational organizations. This company is the leading manufacturer of electronic products as well as softwares. Its key products are Macintosh computers and Apple iPods and iPhones. The Apple Inc. company was established in California in April 1976 with the name â€Å"Apple Computers†. As the company expanded its product range to a variety of consumer electronic products, it dropped the word â€Å"Computers† from its name. Now this company is having more than 35000 employees worldwide. In 2008 Apple Inc. did business of more than US$32. 48 billion. Therefore, fortune magazine has regarded Apple as the most admired company of 2008-2009. Apple Inc.’s first ever product was an Apple 1, which was a handmade computer kit made by the co-founder of Apple, Steve Wozniak. It was not introduced publicly as it was not provided with a good graphical user interface. Steve Jobs, another co-found er, convinced Wozniak to introduce this product as a commercial computer. Therefore first ever computer named Apple 1 was sold in1976. After that it passed through a number of stages of modification and got the shape of today’s Apple Computers which is entirely different from Apple 1. After the launch of Apple1 this company got fame and earned a good business. In mid 1980s Apple faced some critical time because of the launch of Apple Lisa which was flopped badly. Also Mac1 and Newton does not earn a good business and resulted in lowering the shares of the company. In 1985, Steve Jobs left Apple Inc. because of having clashes with the CEO of the company. He joined the company again after 14 years when the company was about to bankrupt and was facing many challenges. He came with the intention to save the company. After his return he introduced new organizational culture. Although the company was following the corporate culture but Steve Jobs applied few modifications to that c ulture in order to save the company. The company was facing a critical time due to a number of reasons caused by bad organizational structure. 3-Schein’s Theoretical Model of Organizational Culture: Schein defined culture as an abstraction in which various forces that are generated as a result of some specific situations that are arising in the organization as a part of culture are much more powerful. If these forces are not interpreted initially then they badly affect the structure of the organization. He explained that the culture of an organization is adopted with the passage of time; it is not the matter of days. Therefore, it plays a very important role in the well being of its structure as well as working. Schein’s theory of organizational culture is defined as (Schein, 2004): â€Å"A pattern of shared basic assumptions that a group has learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems.† Schein basically developed a model of organizational culture defined in three levels(Hatch, 1993). Cultural Artifacts: This level is more concerned with the physical behavior