Passwords cracked using graphic cards and new type of software

Graphic cards are now more powerful then ever, rivaling a CPU as to what it can do, basically a processor exists now, only to coordinate interactions between hardware devices and do the mundane things.  Some new software is harnessing the power of the new generation of graphic cards by using them to crack passwords.

Basically the newest graphic cards (GPUs) are powerful parallel processors and parallel processors are good a number crunching, the type of number crunching required to crack a password, for example.

Leave it to the Russians to come out with a tool that can do just that.  Elcomsoft is a $150 piece of software that turns any GPU into a password cracking monster.  Microsofts NT LAN Manager generated passwords used on Vista can be cracked in 3 to 5 days using a $150 graphics card, the CPU-only approach can take up to two months.

According to Engadget, the more powerful the graphics card, the better, the Geforce 8800 Ultra can crack a password 25 times faster than a CPU-only approach.

It’s now up to quantum encryption to save all of us.

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