<!-- Copyright (c) 2026 defconxt. All rights reserved. -->
<!-- Licensed under AGPL-3.0 — see LICENSE file for details. -->
<!-- NERF is a trademark of defconxt. -->
---
name: performing-hashcat-attacks
description: >-
  Perform GPU-accelerated password cracking with hashcat using dictionary, rule-based, mask, and hybrid attack modes against various hash types.
domain: cybersecurity
subdomain: password-cracking
tags:
  - hashcat
  - gpu-cracking
  - dictionary-attack
  - mask-attack
  - rules
version: "1.0"
author: defconxt
license: AGPL-3.0
metadata:
  mitre-attack: ["T1110.002"]
  cwe: ["CWE-916"]
  tools: ["hashcat", "hashcat-utils", "kwprocessor", "statsgen"]
---

# Performing Hashcat Attacks

## Overview

Perform GPU-accelerated password cracking with hashcat using dictionary, rule-based, mask, and hybrid attack modes against various hash types.

## Prerequisites

| Tool / Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| `hashcat` | Security tooling |
| `hashcat-utils` | Security tooling |
| `kwprocessor` | Security tooling |
| `statsgen` | Security tooling |
| Isolated lab environment for testing | Environment requirement |
| Authorization and signed Rules of Engagement (RoE) | Environment requirement |
| Relevant target samples or systems acquired through authorized channels | Environment requirement |

## Quick Reference

```bash
# Dictionary attack
hashcat -m 1000 -a 0 hashes.txt rockyou.txt

# Rule-based attack
hashcat -m 1000 -a 0 hashes.txt rockyou.txt -r best64.rule

# Mask attack (8-char with upper+lower+digit)
hashcat -m 1000 -a 3 hashes.txt ?u?l?l?l?l?l?d?d

# Hybrid attack (wordlist + mask)
hashcat -m 1000 -a 6 hashes.txt rockyou.txt ?d?d?d

# Show cracked passwords
hashcat -m 1000 hashes.txt --show
```

## Workflow

### Step 1: Preparation and Reconnaissance

```bash
# Identify target and gather initial intelligence
file ./target_sample
hashcat --version 2>/dev/null || echo "Install hashcat"

# Set up working directory
mkdir -p /tmp/performing-hashcat-attacks/{output,logs,artifacts}
```

### Step 2: Primary Analysis

```bash
# Execute primary analysis with hashcat
# Refer to Quick Reference above for detailed commands
echo "[*] Running Performing Hashcat Attacks with hashcat..."

# Log all operations
script -q /tmp/performing-hashcat-attacks/logs/session.log
```

### Step 3: Deep Investigation

```bash
# Apply hashcat-utils for secondary analysis
echo "[*] Deep investigation with hashcat-utils..."

# Cross-reference findings
diff /tmp/performing-hashcat-attacks/output/primary.json /tmp/performing-hashcat-attacks/output/secondary.json
```

### Step 4: Documentation and Reporting

```bash
# Generate structured findings report
cat <<'EOF' > /tmp/performing-hashcat-attacks/output/report.json
{
  "technique": "performing-hashcat-attacks",
  "domain": "password-cracking",
  "tools_used": ["hashcat", "hashcat-utils"],
  "findings": [],
  "recommendations": []
}
EOF
```

## Verification

- [ ] Environment and tools verified and operational
- [ ] Target samples acquired through authorized channels
- [ ] Primary analysis completed with findings documented
- [ ] Secondary validation performed with independent tooling
- [ ] All artifacts preserved in structured output directory
- [ ] Detection opportunities documented for blue team

## References

- [MITRE ATT&CK T1110.002](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1110/002) — Related technique
- [hashcat Documentation](https://hashcat.org/) — Primary tooling
- [hashcat-utils Reference](https://hashcat-utils.org/) — Secondary tooling
