Which statement about password cracking is true?

Which statement about password cracking is true?

• A. It is a form of phishing
• B. It always requires physical access
• C. Attackers use password cracking techniques to gain unauthorized access
• D. It only recovers passwords

Answer: (C)

Password cracking is about recovering passwords so an attacker can authenticate to systems. Attackers use techniques like brute-force, dictionary attacks, rule-based mutations, and offline cracking of password hashes to discover valid credentials. It doesn’t require phishing or physical access; cracks can happen remotely after the attacker has captured hashes or login data. And cracking isn’t limited to simply revealing passwords—once credentials are obtained, they can be used to log in, escalate privileges, or move laterally. So the statement that attackers use password cracking techniques to gain unauthorized access best captures how this activity is used in practice.

Password cracking is about recovering passwords so an attacker can authenticate to systems. Attackers use techniques like brute-force, dictionary attacks, rule-based mutations, and offline cracking of password hashes to discover valid credentials. It doesn’t require phishing or physical access; cracks can happen remotely after the attacker has captured hashes or login data. And cracking isn’t limited to simply revealing passwords—once credentials are obtained, they can be used to log in, escalate privileges, or move laterally. So the statement that attackers use password cracking techniques to gain unauthorized access best captures how this activity is used in practice.