Hash functions and password cracking
Cryptographic hash functions have been described as the workhorses of modern cryptography, having uses in message authentication, digital signatures and password verification. But how do they work and how safe really are they?
In this talk I gave a live demonstration of password cracking using the software hashcat and one of the university’s GPU equipped machines. This machine allowed us to make over 4 billion password attacks per second.
I concluded the talk by discussing how to set and manage passwords in a secure and safe manner.