Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly prevalent in our lives, powering our devices and even aiding us in writing essays and articles. However, the vast potential of AI can also be used for malicious purposes, such as cracking passwords.
The Alarming Findings of PassGAN:
According to a study by cybersecurity company Home Security Heroes, AI-powered tools like PassGAN can easily and quickly crack passwords. The study analyzed over 15.6 million passwords, revealing that PassGAN could decipher 51% of popular passwords in just one minute. The findings of the study indicate that within an hour, PassGAN could potentially crack approximately 65% of popular passwords. Within a day and a month, PassGAN could crack 71% and 81% of popular passwords, respectively.
Guidance for Protecting Your Password:
However, the study also provides some guidance on how to protect your passwords. Home Security Heroes advises using passwords with at least 12 characters, combining uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. By using this method, it would take the PassGAN tool up to 30,000 years to crack your password. On the other hand, a password with only digits or numbers can be cracked instantly.
The Importance of Strong Password:
To further help users, the company has a feature on their website that generates a random password and estimates how long it would take to crack. As an illustration, suppose you have an 11-digit password. In that case, it would be cracked instantly. On the other hand, if your password has 12 digits and includes a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols, it would take 2 trillion years to crack.
Conclusion:
Drawing on the previous post about Italy’s ban on ChatGPT, it’s clear that AI has the potential to be used for harmful purposes, including the cracking of passwords. As such, it’s crucial to take measures to protect your personal information. By following the guidelines outlined in the study, you can strengthen your password security and reduce the risk of falling victim to malicious attacks.