How to Crack Windows Password using ophcrack ?

How To Crack Windows XP, Vista and 7 Passwords

If you rely only on windows password for the security of your computer and personal data then the chances of getting your data in wrong hands are very high.

Trick Level : Script Kiddies

Skills Needed : No

Step 1: Download the Ophcrack iso image suitable to your needs i.e. for xp or vista/7

you can choose the ophcrack Live CD (without tables) also but then you will have to download the rainbow tables separately.

Step 2: Make a live Pendrive (?) with the iso file. (Howto make live Pendrive?)

Step 3: Shutdown and Boot the system with your pendrive.

And now the ophcrack will automatically start over and complete its work.

Whats Behind the Scene

The passwords in windows are hashed and stored in the SAM file located
at C:\WINDOWS\system32\config

Files of interest are

SAM

SAM.txt

But here in windows environment these files are locked to users even administrator

but system account. To have these files in your hand you can boot the system with

any linux live pendrive and copy these in your pendrive and then you can process them

later using ophcrack.

Note : Till date only Tables for XP, Vista and 7 are available, Still nothing for Win8

How to Boot Linux from Pendrive?

How To Boot Linux From Your Live Pendrive?

Trick level : Script Kiddies

Skills needed : Nopes

There are two ways to create Live USB :

1. Single Linux Bootable
2. Multi Linux Bootable.

Single Linux Bootable Drive

Step 1: Download Universal USB Installer.

Step 2: Select the Linux distro from drop-down and if you have the image file then browse it in the text box otherwise just check the “Download the iso” option.

Step 3: Select your pendrive in the 2 drop-down box and format it if you want (I’ll recommend) and click create.

Step 4: That was all now just boot from your pendrive

Multi Linux Bootable Pendrive

Step 1: Download Yumi MultibootCreator.

Step 2: Select your Pendrive and Linux Distro you want to make live pendrive of and browse or download the iso image.

Note:  Select "View or Remove Installed Distro" option to make the pendrive for single linux

Step 3: Just click create and you are done, to install more linux on the same drive, just follow the instruction again from Step 1

Making Live Pendrive can be very useful when trying to install linux/windows from the pendrive and a very nice alternative for the problem of installing the different operating system on a single machine and sometimes can be used to gain access to some very important files which are restricted to users even to administrators in windows environment.