System is up to 50 times faster than any single machine
A high-powered system that can crack computer passwords up to 50 times faster than any single computer has been developed by the Commercial Crime Bureau and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
The bureau's technology crime division said the computer system, known as a password-cracking cluster, consisted of 25 computers and could crack an eight-character password in two to three days. 'The speed of its operation is 30 to 50 times faster than any single computer,' said Acting Chief Inspector Collins Leung, who headed the project.
'It might take about 3,000 days to crack a password of eight characters in length with an ordinary computer, but the new system using clustering technology can reduce the time to two or three days.
'The software on this cluster has been specially designed for its durability and prolonged operational need.'
The new system's ability to break into files protected by passwords could be easily boosted.