April 12, 2023

A recent report by security experts at Home Security Heroes has shown that artificial intelligence (AI) tools can be used to crack common passwords in a matter of minutes or seconds. While AI can perform various cool tasks like explaining the theory of relativity and writing computer code, it can also uncover passwords with ease.

To test how long it would take for an AI tool to crack 15.6 million common passwords, Home Security Heroes used an AI tool called PassGAN, a combination of “password” and Generative Adversarial Network (GAN). Unlike conventional manual processes, PassGAN analyzes genuine passwords from real leaks, enabling it to master the art of password cracking.

Using PassGAN to crack all common passwords, Home Security Heroes found that 81% of them could be cracked in less than a month, 71% in less than a day, 65% in less than an hour, and 51% in less than a minute.

Password complexity and length play significant roles in determining their susceptibility to cracking. PassGAN could determine a seven-character password containing uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols in just six minutes, and a 13-character password with numbers in just three minutes. Passwords combining both length and complexity were more secure.

PassGAN runs on a neural network, which can analyze and learn from data to become increasingly smarter. Most password-cracking tools use simple data models to run manual password guesses, password generation rules like concatenation, and assumptions about password patterns.

Using a minimum of 15 characters, including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols while avoiding patterns such as real words is advised. Changing passwords periodically helps to prevent unauthorized access, and avoiding using the same password across various sites prevents hackers from gaining access to multiple accounts.

The sources for this piece include an article in ZDNET.