Password Cracking Techniques and Countermeasures ECSS Practice Questions (Page 7)

Questions 31–35

1. 31foundation · easy

   Which password cracking technique uses a precomputed table of hash values to quickly reverse a hash?

   • ADictionary attack
   • BHybrid attack
   • CRainbow table attack
   • DBrute-force attack
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
2. 32application · easy

   A developer is storing passwords for a new application. The developer wants to ensure that two users with the same password do not have the same stored value. Which mechanism achieves this?

   • AUse a unique salt for each user before hashing
   • BUse a fast hashing algorithm without salt
   • CUse a global salt for all users
   • DStore passwords in plaintext
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
4. 33foundation · easy

   What is the primary purpose of adding a salt to a password before hashing?

   • ATo compress the password so it takes up less storage space
   • BTo encrypt the password so it can be decrypted later
   • CTo make the password easier to remember for the user
   • DTo ensure that identical passwords produce different hash values
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
5. 34foundation · easy

   In a security assessment, what is the primary purpose of performing password cracking?

   • ATo recover the plaintext of any password stored in the system, regardless of its complexity
   • BTo bypass authentication controls and gain unauthorized access to the system
   • CTo verify that all passwords are stored in plaintext for easy recovery
   • DTo identify weak or guessable passwords that could be exploited by an attacker
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
6. 35expert · hard

   A security analyst is performing a password audit for a client. The client's systems use a mix of unsalted MD5 hashes and salted SHA-256 hashes. The analyst has a limited time budget and wants to maximize the number of passwords cracked. The analyst has access to a GPU workstation and a large wordlist. Which approach should the analyst prioritize?

   • AUse rainbow tables for both the MD5 and SHA-256 hashes
   • BCrack the salted SHA-256 hashes first using a brute-force attack
   • CCrack the unsalted MD5 hashes first using rainbow tables, then use a dictionary attack on the salted hashes
   • DUse a dictionary attack on the MD5 hashes first, then a brute-force attack on the salted hashes
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first