Common Password Cracking Misconceptions

Passwords13 Las Vegas

Presented by: Rob Graham
Date: Wednesday July 31, 2013
Time: 12:00 - 12:50
Location: Main Room
Track: Passwords13

Rainbow tables do not magically make passwords easier to crack. This is a common misconception. While rainbow tables are useful in some narrow cases, they don't apply to most password cracking. They are nearly useless for things like cracking mass password dumps, even when the passwords are unsalted. Whenever somebody mentions "rainbow tables", they are almost certainly repeating this common misconception. This talk will discuss this and other common misconceptions about passwords, with lots of visual aids to help make the points.

Rob Graham

Robert David Graham, aka ErrataRob, is an American security consultant, best known as the father of network IPS and the creator of BlackICE. He's been in cybersec since before people started using the term "cybersec," starting as a preteen learning from his Grandfather, who was a code breaker in WWII. Some say he has a plasticine model of Thorsheim in his garden shed for inspiration.


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