One of the main reasons why your data is not safe without encryption, is the fact that your Windows password can easily be restored.
This process – also called “hacking your windows password” – is fairly easy and works with both Windows XP and Windows Vista.
After following the few simple steps of this tutorial, you will be surprised with how little basic knowledge you can restore your windows password on your own, for free.
The tool we use to retrieve your Windows password is called Ophcrack and can be downloaded from this website.
On the Ophcrack website you have two choices: Either download an installer or download a live CD. The latter requires you to burn an ISO image onto a CD/DVD which can then be used to boot your computer. The first option will allow you to install an application on your computer. This can obviously only be used if you still have access to Windows.
Both options yield to the same result. Working with a live CD, however, gives you more flexibility as you can use it on any computer, whereas the installable application can only be accessed and used if you know at least one password of the machine you are targeting.
For the purpose of this tutorial, let’s assume you chose to go with the first option. Simply download the installer and follow the instructions for installation. Once the application is installed, open it and click the Start button on the upper left. The tool will automatically recognize all of the computer’s user accounts and will start doing its magic. You should see something similar to this window:
After about 5 – 10 minutes you will notice that the passwords of the user accounts will start appearing. Wait until the progress bar shows 100% and be suprised. All your well kept passwords are clearly written out on the right hand side of the application.
As you can see, this was extremely easy to do and can be reproduced by anyone with the right tools.
If you are comfortable with burning an ISO file and know how to boot from a CD, go with option 2 (see above) and create a boot CD you can use to restore any Windows password on any computer – A great way to impress your friends next time you tell them about Windows security.
So what can you do to truely protect your sensitive data? We recommend using tools like Steganos Safe, that lock your data away with real encryption. Read our post Hide and Encrypt Your Data with Steganos Safe for more information.
Disclaimer: Please note that this tutorial is for demonstration purposes only! Hacking into someone else’s computer is illegal and should never be done without authorization.
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