RAR Password Cracking Explained

Cracking a RAR file is no easy task as it takes a lot of time, a very powerful computer and, last but not least, highly efficient software program which is truly an ace up your sleeve.

RAR password protection employs very strong encryption algorithms which oftentimes significantly hampers searching process and results in slow performance. Apart from that the speed of password cracking also depends on the size of the RAR file (details).

All these challenges set very high standards and demanding requirements to the available RAR password cracking software solutions, i.e.:

• customization of validation range
• high-speed scanning of passwords
• supporting AMD/NVIDIA graphics cards

Passcovery has been developing password recovering software since 2002. To crack passwords to open RAR files Passcovery recommends you to use the new edition of Accent RAR Password Recovery – software product that meets all the above mentioned requirements.

Accent RAR Password Recovery for RAR/WinRAR archives

Download for Windows x64

AcentRPR – Customization of Verification Range

Using a brute force attack while cracking a RAR password will result in too large a number of options to verify whereas a dictionary-based attack will produce very few password variants.

The perfect solution is range customization. This feature consists in adaptive cutting unnecessary arrays of passwords off and creating extra entries when it’s needed.

AccentRPR features the following range customization tools:

• Brute-force with extended mask. The mask defines a list of possible characters for each position in the generated password and cuts off redundant validations.
  For example the following settings can be entered: symbol 1 – only digits, symbol 2 – only capitalized letter, symbol 3 – any symbol except digits, the last symbol – a special symbol (“1PassW0rD!”).
  Another program use case.
  Once at least the structure of a RAR password is defined the chances of its successfully cracking become very high;
• Password mutation using dictionary attack. The scenario describes the rules of transformation of a password withdrawn from a dictionary and enables to cover all the variants obtained as a result of this transformation.
  For example the word “baseball” from the dictionary is transformed by AccentRPR into “B@seb@!!99”:
  
  Dictionary attack with Passcovery: Dictionaries mutation
  This feature significantly increases the chances of successfully cracking RAR files even though the passwords may be quite strong.

To minimize the time needed to recover a RAR password you have to be ready to customize the searching process.

AccentRPR – Scanning of RAR Password Variants

The policy of WinRAR software developers is aimed at countering all possible attacks on archived files therefore RAR files can’t be cracked as fast as other formats (for example ZIP files).

To cope with the challenging task we optimized the source code of our software. So, Accent RAR Password Recovery is ready to exploit any hardware to get the maximum efficiency.

The processing algorithm of AccentRPR estimates the working system and actuates the compute core specially created and optimized for the existing CPU to engage it in the password recovery process. The software now is equipped with more than ten cores – one for each family of Intel and AMD CPU’s.

The algorithm described above ensures the highest possible speed of password searching using any modern hardware.

AccentRPR – GPU Support

Graphics cards with their enormous number of streaming processors really boost the cracking of strong passwords including passwords to open RAR files.

That means you can find a valid password dozens of times faster! It’s only a matter of the computer configuration and specifics of the RAR file you’re cracking.

When it comes to supporting graphics cards our software takes an uncompromising stand – AccentRPR is fully functional with all GPU’s whether AMD or NVIDIA produced over the last 7 years. And just as in the case with CPU the program employs 100% of GPU capacity.

The new edition of AccentRPR which we recommend to use for cracking password-protected RAR files now features improved support of AMD graphics cards with GCN architecture. In some cases acceleration is up to 30%.

See GPU Performance Rating based on their password recovery efficiency on the official Passcovery website and learn how to choose a GPU for password recovery purposes.

Free Demo Versions

Technical features, functions and user interfaces are universal for all Passcovery solutions. Free trial versions of all software products are available at the official website.

Author: Denis Gladysh, co-owner, and head of Passcovery – a provider of high-speed GPU-accelerated software solutions for recovering passwords for popular file formats; author of the first versions of Accent OFFICE Password Recovery, created in 1999.

Three Questions About Brute Force

❶ What is Brute Force?

Brute force is the systematic enumeration of all possible password variations in search of the correct one. That's why it's also referred to as the method of exhaustive search.

The use of brute force in password cracking involves defining the parameters for generating a set of values and sequentially checking them for a match with the desired password. Consequently, the larger the set of values, the more time it will take to complete the verification.

❷ How to Brute Force an RAR/WinRAR Password?

1. Open the password-protected RAR archive in the program (download link provided above).
2. Specify whether PPMd block scanning is required
3. Choose the «Brute-force» attack option
4. Select an appropriate alphabet from the dropdown list
5. Mark the required character sets: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, digits, special symbols
6. If necessary, enable the «User defined» mode and edit the character list: remove unnecessary characters and add the required ones
7. Set the minimum and maximum password length for generation
8. Define a simple password mask if you know any part of the password
9. Observe how the number of «nuts»/passwords to check changes when you adjust the character set and password length
10. Click «OK» and start the RAR/WinRAR password brute force

❸ Can You Crack RAR Passwords with Brute Force?

Yes, brute force is the only method to crack an RAR or WinRAR password. The algorithm has no vulnerabilities. The only option is to systematically try passwords until you find the right one.

Generate passwords based on a mask or experiment with suitable dictionaries. However, always manipulate the range of checks and accelerate the process using AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards. This guarantees success!

Although, of course, there's always the chance of encountering a 'troll password': super short or one from the top 10 most popular passwords. 😆