Credential Testing and Account Security - pentestfunctions/Hacking-For-Beginners GitHub Wiki

Credential Testing and Account Security

This document focuses on techniques for credential testing and account security against a target domain like example.com, including real-world command examples and theoretical scenarios.

Table of Contents

Account Cracking and Weak Password Testing

Hydra for Brute-Force Attacks

  • Command: 
    hydra -l admin -P /path/to/wordlist.txt example.com http-post-form "/login:username=^USER^&password=^PASS^:Login failed"
  • Explanation: This command uses Hydra to perform a brute-force attack on the login panel at example.com/login. It tries the username 'admin' with a list of passwords.

John the Ripper for Cracked Hashes

  • Command: 
    john --wordlist=/path/to/wordlist.txt /path/to/hashes.txt
  • Explanation: John the Ripper is used to crack password hashes, obtained from a breach or dump, against a wordlist.

Hashcat for Advanced Cracking

  • Command: 
    hashcat -m 0 -a 0 -o cracked.txt /path/to/hashes.txt /path/to/wordlist.txt
  • Explanation: Hashcat performs efficient password cracking. The -m 0 specifies the hash type (e.g., MD5), and -a 0 is the attack mode (straight).

OSINT on Employee Credentials

Searching Data Breaches

  • Example: Search for example.com on Have I Been Pwned to find breaches involving employee credentials.

Social Engineering for Password Guessing

  • Example: Analyze public information to guess passwords, like using an employee's birthday or pet's name.

Password Policy Analysis

  • Example: Evaluate example.com's policy for complexity, length, and lockout procedures to identify security gaps.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Bypass Techniques

  • Example: Identify and exploit weaknesses in SMS-based 2FA, such as intercepting verification codes.

Account Takeover Techniques

Registration Process Abuse

  • Example: During registration, use tools to detect if certain usernames are already taken, indicating valid user accounts.

Password Reset Flaws

  • Example: Analyze the password reset process for predictable token patterns or logic flaws in the email change process.

Account Recovery Exploits

  • Example: Test security questions for common answers or information easily found through OSINT.

Note: Always ensure that your testing is ethical, legal, and authorized. Unauthorized testing can result in serious legal consequences.