How to Crack the Account Password on Any Operating System

Posted in Computers,Software by Joe Colburn on the January 29th, 2009

This guest post was written by Blair Mathis from LaptopLogic.com – your premier source for the latest laptop software news and best laptop accessories.

Computer passwords are like locks on doors – they keep honest people honest. If someone wishes to gain access to your laptop or computer, a simple login password will not stop them. Most computer users do not realize how simple it is to access the login password for a computer, and end up leaving vulnerable data on their computer, unencrypted and easy to access.

Are you curious how easy it is for someone to gain access to your computer? If so, read on to see the technique one might use to figure out your computer password.

Windows
Windows is still the most popular operating system, and the method used to discover the login password is the easiest. The program used is called Ophcrack, and it is free. Ophcrack is based on Slackware, and uses rainbow tables to solve passwords up to 14 characters in length. The time required to solve a password? Generally 10 seconds. The expertise needed? None.

Simply download the Ophcrack ISO and burn it to a CD (or load it onto a USB drive via UNetbootin). Insert the CD into a machine you would like to gain access to, then press and hold the power button until the computer shuts down. Turn the computer back on and enter BIOS at startup. Change the boot sequence to CD before HDD, then save and exit.

The computer will restart and Ophcrack will be loaded. Sit back and watch as it does all the work for your. Write down the password it gives you, remove the disc, restart the computer, and log in as if it were you own machine.

Mac
The second most popular operating system, OS X is no safer when it comes to password cracking then Windows.

The easiest method would be to use Ophcrack on this, also, as it works with Mac and Linux in addition to Windows. However, there are other methods that can be used, as demonstrated below.

If the Mac runs OS X 10.4, then you only need the installation CD. Insert it into the computer, reboot. When it starts up, select UTILITIES > RESET PASSWORD. Choose a new password and then use that to log in.

If the Mac runs OS X 10.5, restart the computer and press COMMAND + S. When at the prompt, type:

fsck -fy

mount -uw /

launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.DirectoryServices.plist

dscl . -passwd /Users/UserName newpassword

That’s it. Now that the password is reset, you can login.

Linux
Finally, there is Linux, an operating system quickly gaining popularity in mainstream, but not so common you’re likely to come across it. Though Mac and Linux are both based on Unix, it is easier to change the password in Linux than it is OS X.

To change the password, turn on the computer and press the ESC key when GRUB appears. Scroll down and highlight ‘Recovery Mode’ and press the ‘B’ key; this will cause you to enter ‘Single User Mode’.

You’re now at the prompt, and logged in as ‘root’ by default. Type ‘passwd’ and then choose a new password. This will change the root password to whatever you enter. If you’re interested in only gaining access to a single account on the system, however, then type ‘passwd username’ replacing ‘username’ with the login name for the account you would like to alter the password for.

Conclusion
There you have it – that is how simple it is for someone to hack your password. It requires no technical skills, no laborious tasks, only simple words or programs. The moral of the story? Encrypt your data to keep it safe. Don’t use only a password, but actually encryption, such as Blowfish or AES-128. There are a number of programs that can do this – TrueCrypt for Windows, or the native encryption found on Ubuntu, creating a disk image in Mac, etc.

About the author

Joe is a web developer and technology enthusiast. Always eager to dive into new and exciting things, Joe writes about anything technology related that he thinks you will also be excited about. Find Joe Colburn on Google+ or by any of the links below.

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nelsonbrent514 5 pts

I usually use Password Recovery Bundle to remove the Windows password I forgot.

http://www.top-password.com

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EricChan 5 pts

There is two methods to reset windows login password:

Methods 1: Use the password reset disk to recover the Windows password, by this methods, you need create a Windows password reset disk before you have lost or forgotten your Windows admin password.

Method 2: Using Windows Password Recovery software to recover Windows password As an easy method to recover the forgot Windows password, there are only four steps as follow: Step1: Download Anmosoft Windows Password Reset V8.0 and install it. Step2: Burn the ISO image file onto a blank CD/DVD or USB. Step3: Boot up your Windows PC by the bootable burned CD/DVD or USB in minutes. Step4: Remove the forgotten Windows password on the operation interface and logon PC without password.

http://www.resetwindowspassword.com

John8347 5 pts

Except with the methods listed with for the Mac operating systems, reseting the password will delete all of the data in the home folders. Essentially deleting all the personal files in the documents, music, photo's will be gone. So most likely whatever data you want to access will be gone. A better option is to add/access an admin account and use the admin access to reset the password of the other account.

MoneySavingHeaven 5 pts

How can you stop this on Windows 7?

Thanks,

Mike

nishnit 5 pts

hey joe icant crack the password of windows 7. it was my sisters she dont allow me to take her laptop. so help me please . i already installed oph crack but it is showing not found.

softhd2 5 pts

http://officekey.blogspot.com/

Windows 7 Password Reset 5 pts

After reading your article, I was quite shocked to read how easy it is to reset passwords for Linux accounts and tried it.

I do have Grub as a boot loader but pressing ESC only made it run in text mode and there wasn't an option called 'Recovery Mode'. I'm actually glad that It didn't work for me but I'm quite curious which distro you are referring to in the article as I think it's quite disturbing to be able to just boot in super user mode without having to supply a password.

Wolskie 5 pts

Windows 7 Password Reset This is why putting a password on grub to prevent, changing the boot options can be helpful, also removing entries which are old and unnecessary is a good idea too, however I believe even in recovery mode you still need to supply a password.

Niwahereza Dan 5 pts

how do u change boot squence

joetech 8 pts moderator

Niwahereza Dan This is done in the BIOS. Often, you'll hit F2 (although it may vary from machine to machine) to enter the BIOS. Just be careful about what you change in there.

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DanielleRussell 6 pts

Greetings Joe! Can you please help e to recover a windows 8 password. My girlfriend is a geek and she upgrades my Windows 7 to Windows 8 Alpha version. The thing that I hate about it is she also installed a password and I can't use my netbook. She told me that I should Google it and I will know how to crack this. Please help.

executivegifts Did your girlfriend forget the password? I haven't tried cracking a Windows 8 system, but if you find anything out, let us know.

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joetech Thanks for the reply Joe. No , my girlfriend did not forgot the password, she is just trying to force the inner geek in me to solve the problem. I am still trying to crack it. I will just let you know If I succeed. Thanks again.

executivegifts Awesome! I like her thinking. Let me know WHEN you succeed.

joetechexecutivegifts

joetech. I did not win . I formatted my notebook.. I have a new OS and It is ubuntu.. . . . . . . . . I also have a new girlfriend

customitems 5 pts

Hi Joe! I hope the password cracking tips in this post will also work with the latest OS of Microsoft-Windows 8. I read that this OS will give password crackers a hard time. In my opinion it will take 1 day for a hacker to crack this OS, the reason behind this is hackers always rules.

fred_martin 5 pts

just amazing stuff I have found. I never tried it will be work properly... ?

cathyjade7777 5 pts

I read this article an hour ago and I tested it on my windows xp computer, It works. My next goal is to put a new password to my daughters PC so that I can tell her that It is locked because I accidentally enabled the password option and the bad part about it I forgot the password. She will freak-out , I know her but I am her Mom and I will just be playing a joke on my sweet baby.

cathyjade7777 That's funny. You should make a video of her reaction when you tell her you forgot the password.

flow 5 pts

joetech its easy to crack...down windows password ex:-winxp or 7 with out using the third party help.......i have done it so if you think you can ..just do it den

fredhixton 5 pts

leon: as a bootable cd i think, please double check though. Fred @ http://www.experiencenottinghamshire.com

Miklos

Fail article - this ain't even 0.1% of operating systems.

SE Book

Wow, it is a little too easy to crack these passwords. That is actually kinda scary.

Watch

Me too, it is not working to me, it is still working today, October 5, 2011?

core pins

It will not work on my HP business Laptop.

icon

please i want to know whether the CD are you going to burn it as a bootable CD or what? In what format are u going to burn the CD.

Tommy

There is also the excellent NT/XP password recovery utility from passwordseeker(http://www.passwordseekrer.com) which will allow you to reset (not crack) any password stored in the SAM. I’ve even used this on NT Domain controllers to reset passwords.

Mib

Every time i go to burn it to a cd it starts to burn and then says burn error and want burn. I am using Active@ iso burning.

Arborlon

I can refer you to a couple. First, I need to know specifically what operating system you are running on said laptop. (i.e. Vista, XP, 7)

Also, just want to make sure that it is not a GRUB or BIOS password. Do you get the password prompt before or after boot?

laser pointer

I have a laptop in my office and i really dont know what i am going to do. I'd love to open my files but i almost forgot my password. I never used it for 1 year.

Please help me! How I am going to fixed this one? Do anyone have a password resetter here.

Linux Pusher

It will not work on my HP business Laptop.
I need the startup password, then the bios password then the hd password?????

AHHHHHHHH

Little side note and secruity tip concerning Linux. To keep your system and information on the system secure, create a GRUB password and DO NOT forget it. I recommend writing it down and placing it in a random storage box worst case if you forget you GRUB password you'll have an idea of where you can find it.

Henry

Tried installing the Windows Binary, and MS Security Essentials Alert:

Category: Tool

Description: This program has potentially unwanted behavior.

Recommended action: Permit this detected item only if you trust the program or the software publisher.

Security Essentials detected programs that may compromise your privacy or damage your computer. You can still access the files that these programs use without removing them (not recommended). To access these files, select the Allow action and click Apply actions. If this option is not available, log on as administrator or ask the security administrator for help.

Items:
file:C:\Program Files (x86)\ophcrack\pwdump\servpw.exe
file:C:\Program Files (x86)\ophcrack\pwdump\servpw64.exe

1stblogger

No password can stop you from reading an unecrypted disk if you have physical access.

Nightmare

Um... Yeah.. lol, Spyware in that ophcrack shit.

D. Spackman

Deuteronomy 5:29 - "O that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!"

Deuteronomy 4:29 - "But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul."

Deuteronomy 5:6-21 Read it for yourself.

Aksandstorm

So I just bought a 20" iMac osx 10.6.4. I've tried booting from disk. No go. I tried single user mode. No go. In terminal under nvram -p command the security mode is "command".
I've held down command-alt-O-P during reboot. Still nothing. Is there something I'm missing or did I get screwed?

Frak Jovine

This came in handy a year ago when I had to perform this task on a friends PC.

MrPabloJones

Hi guys my friend has forgotten her Admin. password for her mac, and i was wondering if i could use this to reset the password via the prompt at startup? im new to this so i would need some instruction...can anyone help me? btw her computer is running mac os x 10.5 or later im not sure the exact operating system

fajas colombianas

Recently I was trying to change the administrator password on a Linux Mint 9 installation. By the way it now has GRUB2 as the default boot loader and the GRUB method of accessing single user mode to reset the administrator password does not work. Also I should make it clear that for some time now with Ubuntu Linux and its derivatives booting into Recovery Mode and console login requires a password. So ‘resetting’ the password is not as simple as it used to be. I tried and could not ‘reset’ the password. So if somebody has a easy method for getting into single user mode via GRUB2 I would like to know how it is done. I tried quite a few methods thrown up by googling for it but I could not ‘reset’ the administrator password.

Glen

I can't enter the BIOS....requires a password right off the bat, can't enter setup or boot sequence at all..........any suggestions???
Thanks.......

Rayan

Hey you guys, and hey joe,
I'm really lost, at some point i didnt undertsand what you meant, so what i want is to hack this person's facebook account as well as msn however, he never signed in to his facebook neither msn from the computer im using, is that possible ?
I really need your help its important,
Thank you !

Patrick

that is pretty much good for any OS. but it doesnt help you get the password for the computer itself. just for the website that you make a phising website for.

LED Message Signs

Thanks for the crack info. I will have a need for this I'm sure.

rijans | TechGainer

Nice tips to hack passwords of different OS's.
.-= rijans | TechGainer´s last blog ..What is Fake Facebook Login Page and How it is Used to Hack Facebook Accounts =-.

Im window and windows only where im and, i hardly come across a mac for anything, much less a linix, but what i do is boot up into different OS, whether it be by USB or by CD/DVD and copy C:\WIndows\System32\cmd.exe and rename to sethc.exe and paste back into that folder. then when you boot up, just press SHIFT five times and a command prompt comes up with system user privileges then anyone that know how to reset the password from there can do so. Of course i know how, but what would be the fun in putting this on here and some noob finding it and knowing how to get pass password, without a lil bit of research.

Luca

The best solution I found was to use the Winlogon Password Reset(link below), it got me in seamlessly and there were absolutely no problems.
http://www.windows-logon-password.com/