5/26/24, 9:47 PM Hydra: A Powerful Tool for Password Cracking and Network Security Testing [Cheat Sheet] | by Cuncis
heet] | by Cuncis | Medium
Hydra: A Powerful Tool for
Password Cracking and Network
Security Testing [Cheat Sheet]
Cuncis · Follow
5 min read · Mar 5, 2023
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5/26/24, 9:47 PM Hydra: A Powerful Tool for Password Cracking and Network Security Testing [Cheat Sheet] | by Cuncis | Medium
Hydra is a popular open-source password cracking tool that can be used to
perform brute-force attacks on login credentials of various network
protocols, including FTP, HTTP, SSH, Telnet, and others. It uses different
attack methods, including dictionary attacks, brute-force attacks, and hybrid
attacks, to guess passwords and gain unauthorized access to a system.
Hydra can be used to test the strength of passwords used in network systems
and identify potential vulnerabilities that may be exploited by attackers. It is
often used by security professionals, network administrators, and
penetration testers as a tool to assess the security of their systems and
identify weaknesses that need to be addressed.
Cheat Sheet
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Hydra is a powerful tool with many options and parameters that can be
customized according to specific requirements. However, some of the most
commonly used Hydra commands include:
Web Login Authentication attacks using the GET and POST methods
GET method:
hydra -l <username> -P <password list> <target URL> http-get-form "/<login URL>?
Explanation:
hydra : starts the Hydra tool.
-l <username> : specifies the username to use in the attack.
-P <password list> : specifies the path to the file containing a list of
passwords to use in the attack.
<target URL> : specifies the URL of the target website.
http-get-form : specifies the method to use in the attack, which is HTTP
GET in this case.
"/<login URL>?<login form data>:<error message>" : specifies the login
URL, form data, and error message to use in the attack.
POST method:
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st> <target URL> http-post-form "/<login URL>:<login form data>:<error message>"
Explanation:
hydra : starts the Hydra tool.
-l <username> : specifies the username to use in the attack.
-P <password list> : specifies the path to the file containing a list of
passwords to use in the attack.
<target URL> : specifies the URL of the target website.
http-post-form : specifies the method to use in the attack, which is HTTP
POST in this case.
"/<login URL>:<login form data>:<error message>" : specifies the login
URL, form data, and error message to use in the attack.
FTP server:
hydra -t 1 -V -f -l <username> -P <password list> <target> ftp
Explanation:
-t 1 : sets the number of threads to use in the attack (in this case, 1).
-V : enables verbose output, which shows detailed information about the
attack progress.
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-f : forces the tool to continue the attack even if the target is blocking
multiple login attempts.
-l <username> : specifies the username to use in the attack.
-P <password list> : specifies the path to the file containing a list of
passwords to use in the attack.
<target> : specifies the IP address or domain name of the target FTP
server.
ftp : specifies the target protocol to attack (in this case, FTP).
MySQL server:
hydra -t 1 -V -f -L <username list> -P <password list> <target> mysql
Explanation:
-t 1 : sets the number of threads to use in the attack (in this case, 1).
-V : enables verbose output, which shows detailed information about the
attack progress.
-f : forces the tool to continue the attack even if the target is blocking
multiple login attempts.
-L <username list> : specifies the path to the file containing a list of
usernames to use in the attack.
-P <password list> : specifies the path to the file containing a list of
passwords to use in the attack.
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<target> : specifies the IP address or domain name of the target MySQL
server.
mysql : specifies the target protocol to attack (in this case, MySQL).
SMB server:
hydra -t 1 -V -f -l <username> -P <password list> <target> smb
Explanation:
-t 1 : sets the number of threads to use in the attack (in this case, 1).
-V : enables verbose output, which shows detailed information about the
attack
Open in app progress. Sign up Sign in
-f : forces the tool to continue the attack even if the target is blocking
Search Write
multiple login attempts.
-l <username> : specifies the username to use in the attack.
-P <password list> : specifies the path to the file containing a list of
passwords to use in the attack.
<target> : specifies the IP address or domain name of the target SMB
server.
smb : specifies the target protocol to attack (in this case, SMB).
SMTP server:
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hydra -t 1 -V -f -l <username> -P <password list> <target> smtp
Explanation:
-t 1 : sets the number of threads to use in the attack (in this case, 1).
-V : enables verbose output, which shows detailed information about the
attack progress.
-f : forces the tool to continue the attack even if the target is blocking
multiple login attempts.
-l <username> : specifies the username to use in the attack.
-P <password list> : specifies the path to the file containing a list of
passwords to use in the attack.
<target> : specifies the IP address or domain name of the target SMTP
server.
smtp : specifies the target protocol to attack (in this case, SMTP).
SSH server:
hydra -t 4 -V -f -l <username> -P <password list> <target> ssh
Explanation:
-t 4 : sets the number of threads to use in the attack (in this case, 4).
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-V : enables verbose output, which shows detailed information about the
attack progress.
-f : forces the tool to continue the attack even if the target is blocking
multiple login attempts.
-l <username> : specifies the username to use in the attack.
-P <password list> : specifies the path to the file containing a list of
passwords to use in the attack.
<target> : specifies the IP address or domain name of the target SSH
server.
ssh : specifies the target protocol to attack (in this case, SSH).
Please note that these commands are just examples, and the specific options and
parameters used may vary depending on the target system and the specific
requirements of the attack.
Conclusion
Hydra is a powerful open-source password cracking tool that can be used to
perform brute-force attacks on login credentials of various network
protocols. It is often used by security professionals, network administrators,
and penetration testers to assess the strength of passwords used in their
systems and identify potential vulnerabilities that may be exploited by
attackers.
Hydra Hacking Tools Cheatsheet Penetration Testing Pentesting
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Written by Cuncis Follow
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Penetration Tester | Bug Hunter | Ethical Hacker - Connect with me on
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