MPUS: Brute-Force Algorithm
Group Name: MPUS
Members: Johann Redhead, Tellon Smith, Kevin Lord
I Johann Redhead…………………, Tellon Smith…………………, and Kevin Lord…………………, agree to attempt and solve the proposed problem to the best of our abilities.
Proposed Problem: Brute-force Algorithm
SUMMARY
Brute force is defined as very strong or forceful. In computer Science, this is essentially the same definition. Brute-force in Computer Science is the 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. This brute force method involves an attacker systematically
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It is possible to design the algorithm both sequentially and in parallel.
During this project, we will solve the problem using both parallel and sequential methods. A performance analysis will be carried out on both methods to determine the efficiency and speed of each. The sequential algorithm will be written in both pseudo-code and the C++ language. The parallel method will also be written in pseudo-code but we will be using C and MPI instructions to achieve the parallelism of the operation. We would be using the Midwestern State University Turing cluster and personal Ubuntu virtual machines to implement both the parallel program and the sequential program. We as a group decided to pursue this topic as passwords play a vital part in how the world’s information is secured and verified. Passwords are used for user authentication to prove identity or access approval to gain access to a resource. Passwords remain the single most common point of failure in system security. Ensuring that passwords cannot be efficiently broken is important for encryption algorithms. Due to this, we decided to design a sequential and parallel algorithm that would be successful in cracking a password. Given an opportunity to research any topic where parallel programming may prove useful, we agreed on a brute-force algorithm. In our upcoming project, we would all attempt to design, implement, and analyze the brute-force algorithm.
STRATEGY
The sequential
There exist many different possible solutions to this problem, all depending on what extent we want to take to solve this problem, i.e.
In the early days of computing, a hacker was primarily referred to as a computer guru, someone who is extremely technical with a high expertise in computer also known as “Expert Programmers”. Nevertheless, as technology is advancing at a face pace, hacking has adopted a completely different definition. The modern definition is someone who access a computer system primarily to steal or destroy information. Hacking has caused major harm in the realm of technology. Over the years, hackers have become much more lethal in their craft. They manage to break into complex information systems from entities such as banks, government agencies, and private businesses. Furthermore, they often manipulate their victims through social engineering in order to obtain financial benefits. Hackers hold different label such as: black hat hacker and white hat hacker in which all have their own motives.
Cryptanalysis is the study of analyzing information systems in an attempt to learn the secluded aspects of the systems. It is used to break cryptographic security systems and gain access to the contents of encrypted messages. In The Code Book, it analyzes how people can invade your internet privacy even if you code your information. Viruses on the internet can decipher subsequent messages and programs such as the Trojan Horse can appear as a genuine encryption product, but which actually betrays
One of the other failures that the book presents us is the user’s weak password practice and how the intruder took advantage of this is to gain super user privileges and created several user accounts by gaining root privileges. All it takes is a one-time access as super user to establish his base into the defenders zone. This book describes how the intruder took advantage of brute force method to hack user accounts and password. Also, the intruder was smart enough to steal the password information file and even managed to encrypt all the dictionary words by using the same encryption algorithm and then compared those words with the stolen encrypted passwords file to find out passwords of user accounts. The scientists/ researchers at the laboratories who are not aware of such kind of exploitations made intruder’s work easy by having easy to guess passwords, never bothered to change the passwords from time to time or in fact did not realize the importance of having strong passwords in order to maintain and protect their research data in a safe and secure way. Even today, not all the users realize the importance of having strong/secure passwords and we come across such instances where intruders exploit users ignorance. (For example, Two years ago, before I enrolled in MS-CS program, I did not know how brute force attacks work or
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on the success and the process time of the dictionary attack. These passwords are based from
Password complexity: - This helps to successfully break the password for a password of letters and third-party software cannot be known by the combo numbers to be.
18.) Brute force When password guessing, this method is very fast when used to check all short passwords, but for longer passwords other methods such as the dictionary attack are used because of the time a brute-force search takes.
Often attacks are based on software bugs that a hacker can use to give himself or herself super-user status. Also one can get a copy of the password file (which stores user names and encrypted passwords and is often publically accessible) and either do a brute-force attack trying all possible combinations, or encrypt a dictionary and compare the results to see if anyone choose a password that is a dictionary word.
someone should use logic. Marilyn vos Savant used logic to solve this problem, she was
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Passwords for access to personal phones, computers, online portals, and websites has become very prevalent and the best practice for authentication. Additionally, passwords authenticate mobile phones, computer networks and databases for many software applications. However, ensuring that passwords are encrypted, and safe have become one of the greatest challenges for most organizations. This paper will review some of the vulnerabilities of the use of passwords and provide controls to implementation to assist with the management and handling of passwords.
User authentication is a most important component in most computer security. It provides user with access control and user accountability. As we know there are many types of user authentication systems in the market but alphanumerical username/passwords are the most common type of user authentication. They are many and easy to implement and use. Due to the limitation of human memory, most users tend to choose short or simple passwords which are easy to remember. Surveys show that frequent passwords are personal names of family members, birth date, or dictionary words. In most cases, these passwords are easy to guess and vulnerable to dictionary attack. Today users have many passwords for personal computers, social networks, E-mail, and more. They may decide to use one password for all systems to decrease the memory burden, which reduce security.
Genetic algorithms (GAs) were initially proposed by John Holland, whose thoughts were connected and developed by Goldberg. GAs are a heuristic pursuit procedure in view of the standards of the Darwinian thought of survival of the fittest and characteristic genetics. Holland 's work was basically an endeavor to numerically comprehend the versatile procedures of nature, however the general accentuation of GA examination from that point forward has been in discovering applications, numerous in the field of combinatorial enhancement. Genetic algorithms have been utilized as a part of science and engineering as versatile algorithms for tackling functional issues and as computational models of common developmental frameworks. In the latest couple of decades, this procedure with advancement of cutting edge development has accomplished something new.
As incidents of cybercrime are escalating at unprecedented rates with each passing day, you can't bank on the ancient defensive methodology of password protection alone. Professional hackers can break even the most difficult password using the sophisticated technologies.