hashcat

World’s fastest GPU password recovery.

KaliParrotLinuxmedium

pkg: hashcat

hashcat cracks hundreds of hash types at high speed using GPUs, with dictionary, rule, mask and hybrid attacks.

Syntax

hashcat -m {mode} -a {attack} {hashfile} {wordlist}

Example

hashcat -m 0 -a 0 hashes.txt rockyou.txt

Cracks raw MD5 (-m 0) with a straight dictionary attack (-a 0).

Options & flags

What each switch does. Toggle them in the builder below to assemble a command.

-m <0>Hash mode/type number (0=MD5, 1000=NTLM, 1800=sha512crypt, 22000=WPA).
-a <0>Attack mode (0=dictionary, 1=combinator, 3=mask/brute, 6=hybrid).
-o <cracked.txt>Write cracked results to a file.
-r <best64.rule>Rules file to mangle the wordlist.
--showShow already-cracked hashes from the potfile.
--forceIgnore warnings (e.g. unsupported device).
-w <3>Workload profile 1-4 (4 = max GPU).
--increment <value>Enable incremental mask lengths.

Command builder

Tick options (and fill any values) to build a ready-to-copy command.

hashcat HASHFILE WORDLIST

Usage examples

hashcat -m 0 -a 0 hashes.txt rockyou.txt

Dictionary attack on raw MD5 hashes.

hashcat -m 1000 -a 3 ntlm.txt ?u?l?l?l?d?d?d?d

Mask brute-force NTLM: Upper+3 lower+4 digits.

hashcat -m 22000 -a 0 wifi.hc22000 rockyou.txt

Crack a captured WPA handshake/PMKID.

Advantages
  • Extreme GPU speed
  • Supports 300+ hash modes
  • Powerful mask/rule attacks
Disadvantages
  • Needs a capable GPU
  • Mode numbers must be exact
  • Steep options surface
Tags
#hash-cracking#gpu#offline

Official docs: hashcat

Related commands

Frequently asked questions

What is hashcat used for?
hashcat cracks hundreds of hash types at high speed using GPUs, with dictionary, rule, mask and hybrid attacks.
What is an example hashcat command?
A common example is: hashcat -m 0 -a 0 hashes.txt rockyou.txt — Cracks raw MD5 (-m 0) with a straight dictionary attack (-a 0).
Is hashcat part of Kali Linux?
Yes. hashcat ships with Kali Linux (and Parrot OS). If missing, install it with: sudo apt install hashcat.
What category of security tool is hashcat?
hashcat is a Password Attacks tool with a medium-risk profile when run against a live target.

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