Hydra vs. John the Ripper

One scenario that fits well Hydra's ability is to test the strength of Drupal usernames and passwords. So, as an example, if we have a Drupal site at some HTTP web address, we could use lots of methods in order to collect a list with some valid users. After we create the list and also the list of some possible passwords we can try to initiate a Hydra brute force attack. Hydra for example is not suited for finding the vulnerabilities of a host, for this other solutions can be used.

Incentivized

It is best suited in those environments where complexity is not the key. We've used it fairly extensively in our UNIX to find weak UNIX passwords and in Windows environments too. It's very easy to get hold of as it is essentially Open Source, although a paid version is now available and we are thinking of looking at this proposition in-depth to see if it is viable. We found it easy to install and deploy across our systems. Patching was fairly regular, so we always had the latest version. It holds its own against DES and Blowfish encryption algorithms among many others.

Incentivized

• One of most important thing is that Hydra's ability to perform HTTP post form attacks.
• The tool also can be used to attack a great number of protocols.
• The source code of the tool/software is also available for others (so it is not a closed source one).
• A good thing about this tool is also the support available and it also has a high ranking on GitHub (over 1000 stars).

Incentivized

• Easily finds plantect passwords.
• Simply detects passwords hashes.
• Has a fully bespoke cracker that can be modified to users requirements.
• Excellent for UNIX and Windows usage.

Incentivized

• It is not a straightforward tool to use, it needs certain dependencies to be installed so it can function as intended by its creators. This is one of the most important steps that need to be done while configuring the tool as one needs.
• Sometimes the tool gives False Positives passwords.
• There are some issues in the functionality of the tool itself (like some bugs, for example affecting the running and hanging process after a number of tries), but most of them have a solution and there is big community support for the tool.

Incentivized

• It needs to be modified to be able to break SHA 256, 512 and the lastest hashes.
• Can be slow and wildly against the lastest hashes.
• Require admin access to set up account.
• Old and is being superseded by better applications.

Incentivized

There are many other tools similar to Hydra, one of them being "John the Ripper ". Notable differences are that while John the Ripper works offline, Hydra works online; also Hydra is more popular and with a wider usage as it supports Windows, Linux, and macOSX. An important thing is that both software are free to use, making both very useful tools. We can note that JTR has also a "pro" version that is not free to use and it is more optimized for speed and performance and focused on a specific operating system, while Hydra is free and offers all features at no cost.

Incentivized

'John the Ripper' being open source was free to use, whereas the others had to be paid for. It was very simple to install and runs against many hundreds of hashes and crypts. It is always developing thanks to large communities on GitHub.

Incentivized

• Our business objectives are accomplished using the tool as Hydra covers our needs for a free password cracking tool.
• The tool is a free one that has a lot of advantages because it is a powerful one to use for the specific task of performing some activities that are related to penetration testing.
• The services that our business provides for several clients in the field of penetration testing are at the level our customers are expecting.

Incentivized

• Helped us achieve initial Password Auditor goals and targets.
• Simple and cheap to deploy, so have saved greatly compared to paid for products.

Incentivized