60% of MD5 Password Hashes Vulnerable to Cracking in Under an Hour

Severity: High (Score: 64.5)

Sources: Rss.Slashdot, Theregister

Summary

On World Password Day, Kaspersky revealed that 60% of MD5-hashed passwords can be cracked in under an hour using a single Nvidia RTX 5090 GPU, with 48% crackable in under a minute. The study analyzed over 231 million passwords from dark web leaks, showing that password predictability significantly contributes to this vulnerability. The findings indicate that passwords secured with fast hashing algorithms like MD5 are no longer safe, especially after a data breach. Despite a slight improvement in cracking difficulty from 2024, passwords have generally become easier to crack due to advancements in GPU technology. Experts emphasize the need for stronger security measures beyond just passwords, urging service providers to modernize their login systems. Key Points: • 60% of MD5 password hashes can be cracked in under an hour with a powerful GPU. • Password predictability is a major factor in the ease of cracking these hashes. • Experts recommend moving beyond passwords to enhance security measures.

Key Entities

• Brute Force (attack_type)
• Data Breach (attack_type)
• Cwe-327 - Use Of A Broken Or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm (cwe)
• T1110 - Brute Force (mitre_attack)
• Nvidia RTX 5090 (platform)