AI has already pervaded our lives in numerous ways, from powering gadgets to answering questions and assisting in various writing tasks. However, the vast potential of AI can also be used maliciously, and we are now witnessing this in the realm of password cracking. Home Security Heroes, a cybersecurity company, has recently released a study highlighting the alarming effectiveness of AI in deciphering passwords.
The researchers used PassGAN, an AI-powered tool, to demonstrate the importance of robust password security. In their analysis of over 15,680,000 passwords, they discovered that PassGAN could crack 51% of popular passwords within a minute. The tool’s prowess increased with time, breaking 65% of passwords in an hour, 71% within a day, and 81% within a month.
Despite these concerning findings, there is still hope for secure password protection. Home Security Heroes has published a chart outlining the most challenging passwords to crack. A 12-digit password with a combination of upper and lowercase letters would take the tool 289 years to decode. Adding numbers and symbols to the mix would increase the cracking time to 2,000 years, while combining both would take an astounding 30,000 years.
The company recommends using passwords with at least 12 characters and avoiding simple number combinations that can be easily cracked. On their website, a random password generator estimates how long it would take to break each password. An 11-digit number took “instantly,” whereas a 12-digit password required an estimated “2 trillion years.”
As AI continues to advance, it is likely that tools like PassGAN will become even more powerful. It is crucial to stay vigilant and prioritize password security to protect your information from increasingly sophisticated threats.
