John the Ripper

John the Ripper is a software tool used to test the strength of passwords by trying to crack them. It works by systematically attempting a wide range of possible passwords until it finds one that matches a protected file’s password. Organizations use it to identify weak passwords that could be exploited by hackers. It supports various encryption types and employs advanced methods to speed up this process. Essentially, it helps improve security decisions by highlighting vulnerable passwords through controlled, ethical testing.