How to use Attack Settings Editor in Passware Kit

The Attack Settings Editor provides control over the password recovery process. You can add, remove, and combine password recovery attacks there.

• Starting the Attack Settings Editor
• Working with Attack Settings Editor

Starting the Attack Settings Editor

1. Launch Passware Kit.
2. On the Start Page, click Recover File Password (or press Ctrl+O/Cmd+O) and choose the protected file that you want to unlock. Click Open. Alternatively, drag-and-drop the file in question to the Start Page.
3. A screen with three options is displayed: Passware Kit Wizard, Predefined Settings, and Customize Settings.
4. Choose the Customize Settings option.

NOTE: In batch mode, click on the Attack Settings link next to the Group name.

The Attack Settings Editor window displays the list of password recovery attacks (predefined attacks by default) and a panel with actions at the bottom.

The following columns are present:

• Attack
  Password recovery attack type.
• Language
  Defines a set of letters for the selected language used by the attack.
• Length
  Length of the password(s) to recover, in characters.
• Settings
  Password recovery attack settings, such as symbol set, modifiers, Xieve™ level, etc.
• Passwords to check
  Number of passwords to check in the attack with the specified settings.
• Complexity (1 to 5)
  The value depends on the approximate time required for the attack to recover the password at the recovery speed of 500,000 passwords per second:
  •◦◦◦◦ up to 1 hour.
  ••◦◦◦ up to 12 hours.
  •••◦◦ up to 24 hours.
  ••••◦ up to 1 week.
  ••••• longer than 1 week.
• Comment
  Custom comment(s) describing the attack.
• Configure icon

Once the setup is complete, start the attacks by clicking the Recover button on the bottom right.

Passware Tip: Learn more about Password Recovery Attacks and Dictionary Manager.

Working with Attack Settings Editor

• Adding attack
• Removing attack
• Rearranging and copying attacks
• Saving and loading the attack list
• Resetting to the default settings
• Sorting attacks in the attack list

Adding Attack

To add an attack to the attack list, use one of the following methods:

• Click + on the bottom pane.
• Click + inside the group of attacks, (i.e., Join Attack)

Choose the required attack from the list of available attacks and customize its settings. Click the Add Attack button. The attack is added to the attack list.
 

Removing Attack

To remove an attack from the attack list, select the attack and use one of the following methods:

• Click the Remove ("trash bin" icon) button at the bottom of the Attack Settings Editor window.
• Press Del on the keyboard.
• Right-click on the attack, then click Remove from the menu.

You can remove multiple or all attacks from the attack list by selecting all required attacks while holding the Shift button, and then choosing the Remove option from the right-click menu.

Alternatively, click the All button (at the bottom of the window) to clear the attack list.
 

Rearranging and Copying Attacks

Available options:

• Move: change the order of the attacks in the list.

To move an attack, select it and drag it to its new location in the list or right-click on the attack, and then click either Move Up/Move Down to move the attack one level up/down or Move to Top/Move to Bottom to relocate the attack to the beginning or the end of the list.

• Copy: duplicate an attack in another location in the list.

To copy an attack or group of attacks into a different position in the list, follow these steps:

1. Right-click on the attack you wish to copy and select Copy from the menu.
2. Right-click on the attack after which you want to insert the copied attack.
3. Click Paste from the menu.

NOTE: The Cut option removes the copied attack from its original position.

• Export passwords list (available in Passware Kit Business and higher): save the list of passwords generated by the attack(s) in  a TXT format.
• Remove: remove the attack(s) from the list.
   

Saving and Loading the Attack List

Saving the Attack List:

You can export the configuration of the selected password recovery attacks as a PWM file, which can be used by this or other instances of Passware Kit. Click the Save… button at the bottom pane and choose the location to save the PWM file. The current attack list and settings will be saved on your computer as Passware attacks model (MyModel.pwm by default).

Loading the Attack List:

You can import the password recovery attacks from the existing PWM file created by Passware Kit. Click the Load… button at the bottom pane, then specify whether to Add the imported attacks from the PWM file to the current attack list, or fully Overwrite current attacks with the new list. Then browse for the PWM file to load the attack list.

NOTE: To run the attack list that includes custom dictionaries in another Passware Kit instance, make sure these dictionaries are present in the same location.

Resetting to the Default Settings

To set back the Attack Settings Editor to its Predefined state, click Reset to Default at the bottom pane of the Attack Settings Editor window. All the existing attacks will be overwritten by the default attack list.
 

Sorting Attacks in the Attack List

Some attacks take more time to complete than others. To run the attacks in the order of their duration, from shortest to longest, click the Sort by Duration button at the bottom pane of the Attack Settings Editor window.

Export passwords list

Passware Kit Business and higher editions allow exporting a list of passwords generated by one or more attacks to a plaintext file (.TXT). The original attack model is also saved.

To export the passwords:

1. Right-click the preferred attack(s) and choose “Export passwords list” from the context menu.
2. Alternatively, click “+” to create a new attack (or double-click on the existing attack to edit it), then click the “Passwords to check” link if available.
   

Follow these steps to complete the export:

• Choose the destination folder to save the passwords list and the attack model to. Review the required disk space and click “Next”.

NOTE: If there’s insufficient space, no data will be saved. Larger password lists require more disk space.

• Start the exporting process. Passware Kit shows the completion percentage, number of exported passwords, and the resulting TXT file size. 
  
• Once finished, a TXT file is saved. The resulting file can be compiled into a custom Passware dictionary or used in third-party tools. Click “Done” to continue using the Passware Kit.
  

NOTE: Canceling the process removes all the data saved during the export.

View settings of the successful password recovery attack

Passware Kit allows to view and export password recovery attack settings on the “Attacks” tab during or after the password recovery process. This allows users to save the password recovery settings of the successful attack(s) and to reuse them.

Once the password is found, click “View Attack” on the “Password Found” tab to view the details of the attack that recovered the password. All attacks displayed on the “Attacks” tab and highlighted in blue are clickable. Save the attack settings as a .PWM file for future usage if needed. Double-clicking the attack will open the full list of the attack settings.

Click “Export passwords” to save the list of passwords generated by the successful attack or use the “Passwords to check” option.

Related products: Passware Kit Basic, Passware Kit Standard, Passware Kit Standard Plus, Passware Kit Business, Passware Kit Forensic, Passware Kit Ultimate