Password Cracking Techniques and Countermeasures ECSS Practice Questions (Page 1)

Questions 1–5

1. 1application · medium

   A developer is designing a new authentication system and wants to store passwords securely. Which storage mechanism is most resistant to offline cracking attacks?

   • AArgon2id with appropriate parameters
   • BPlaintext in a database
   • CUnsalted MD5 hashes
   • DSalted SHA-256 hashes
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
2. 2foundation · easy

   Which password cracking technique is most effective against a password that is a common word followed by a number, such as 'password123'?

   • AHybrid attack
   • BRainbow table attack
   • CBrute-force attack
   • DDictionary attack
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
4. 3application · easy

   A penetration tester is trying to crack a set of password hashes. The tester knows that the passwords are all exactly 6 characters long and consist only of lowercase letters. Which attack technique would be most efficient?

   • AHybrid attack with common substitutions
   • BRainbow table attack
   • CBrute-force attack
   • DDictionary attack with a small wordlist
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
5. 4application · medium

   A company wants to reduce the risk of password cracking without degrading user experience. Which combination of countermeasures is most effective?

   • AStore passwords in plaintext and rely on network encryption
   • BEnforce a minimum length of 12 characters and use multi-factor authentication
   • CRequire password changes every 30 days and use simple passwords
   • DDisable account lockout to avoid locking out users
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
6. 5application · medium

   A penetration tester is attempting to crack passwords that are known to be based on a base word followed by two digits (e.g., 'Summer24'). Which attack technique is most efficient?

   • AHybrid attack using a dictionary of base words and appending two digits
   • BDictionary attack with only the base words
   • CBrute-force over all 8-character combinations
   • DRainbow table attack on the full keyspace
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first