Hashcat

Overview

Hashcat is the fastest password hash cracker — 300+ hash modes, native GPU support (CUDA/OpenCL/Metal), and an attack language that covers wordlists, rules, masks, and hybrid combinations. Each hash type is referenced by a mode number (e.g., -m 1000 for NTLM, -m 3200 for bcrypt, -m 22000 for WPA2). Pair with dedicated hardware — cracking on a laptop iGPU is rarely worth it.

Instructions

Step 1: Identify the Hash Mode

# Search by example
hashcat --example-hashes | grep -B1 -A2 'bcrypt'
# MODE: 3200
# TYPE: bcrypt $2*$, Blowfish (Unix)
# HASH: $2a$05$LhayLxezLhK1LhWvKxCyLOj0j1u...