Decryption and Password Cracking

In modern computing in general, and in forensic examinationsExamination in particular, encrypted data is common. Traditionally, this has been because criminals tend to want to hide their traces, and encryptionEncryption is a way to do that. In the modern world, encryptionEncryption has become increasingly common due to the fact that, nowadays, encryptionEncryption is often a default option for data on a computer, and encryptionEncryption applications come shipped with the operating system. This makes for a case where a user’s data can be encrypted even if the user never intended to use encryptionEncryption. When faced with encrypted data, a forensic expert has to find a way to crack the encryptionEncryption to make the data readable. This chapter discusses common practices for doing that with a focus on passwordPassword theory and dictionaryDictionary-based passwordPassword guessing attacks. Let’s starts with a background section on passwordPassword theory to give you the theoretical background needed to launch successful passwordPassword guessing attacks.