GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) — Question 53

A security auditor is using John the Ripper to review password strength on Windows machines. The auditor knows that the company requires a 15-character minimum in their passwords. In this scenario, what format parameter must be passed to John (with Jumbo Patch) to crack the passwords?

Answer options

• A. --format=LANMAN
• B. --format=UNIX
• C. --format=NT
• D. --format=SHA256

Correct answer: D

Explanation

The correct format parameter for cracking Windows passwords with a minimum length of 15 characters is --format=SHA256, as it supports strong hashing algorithms. The other options, such as LANMAN and NT, do not provide the same level of security or are not applicable for the specified password length.