Passwords are a standard approach to protect our online accounts, but how long does it really take to crack a password? The answer could be less than a second, or it could be thousands or millions of years, depending on how long, random, and unique the password is and how the attacker cracks it.
Short, predictable passwords are easy to guess. Long, randomly generated passwords are incredibly difficult to guess. That’s why password length and randomisation are key elements in current password security. OWASP recommends that organisations enable passwords long enough to make automated password guessing difficult. Longer passwords and passphrases are more difficult to guess.
How Do Hackers Crack Passwords?
There are different ways that attackers can find out passwords. The approach will vary depending on whether they are assaulting a login system directly or they have received password hashes from a data breach.
Some common password cracking methods include:
1. Brute Force Attack
A brute-force attack is a methodical way of trying every conceivable combination of letters and numbers until the password is cracked.
For example, if a password is simply four digits, there are only 10,000 possible possibilities. This small space can be tested extremely rapidly by a computer in an offline assault. The longer the password, the more possible combinations. The more random the password, the more possible combinations.
2. Dictionary Attacks
A dictionary attack doesn’t have to try every combination. Instead, it employs collections of common words, passwords, names, phrases, and patterns seen before. Therefore, passwords like password123, welcome123, or a name combined with a year are far easier to guess than a random password of the same length.
3. Credential Attacks
Attackers might potentially use passwords from older breaches and try to use them on other sites. This is especially risky if a person uses the same password for many accounts. In this case, the attacker doesn’t have to break the password at all, they may just use a previously revealed password.
How Long Will It Take To Crack A Password?
There is no “one cracking time” for all passwords.
Estimated time is based on factors including:
- Password length.
- Character varieties
- Randomness
- If the password is in a popular password list
- If the attacker has a hash password
- Configuration of the hashing algorithm.
- Available computational hardware
- Whether the target system uses rate limiting or account protections
- Whether MFA is enabled
Therefore, an online login attempt can have quite different security properties than an offline password-hash attack.
NIST says the strength and confidentiality of passwords should be high enough that they can’t be guessed or discovered easily. It also recommends measures such as rate restriction to limit repeated authentication attempts.
Does Password Length Really Matter?
Yes. Password length is one of the most critical parameters that influences resistance to guessing.
Enter two passwords:
- Summer2026
- m7Q!vR2#kL9@pX4$
The first password could seem hard since it contains uppercase, lowercase and numerals, yet it follows a predictable pattern. The second is a lot more difficult to estimate, as it is lengthier and randomly created.
OWASP recommends that applications should accept at least 64 characters for passwords; this allows users to utilise long passwords and passphrases. It also says the longer the passphrase, the more guesses an attacker would have to make. But just adding a number or symbol to a word that someone may guess doesn’t make it a strong password. As a general rule, the longer the random password or passphrase, the better.
What Happens When A Password Is Very Short?
Short passwords have far fewer combinations. For example, if the attacker knows that the password is made up of solely lowercase English letters, then a four-character password has only:
26*26*26*26 = 456,976 possible combinations.
That sounds like a lot, but under some offline attack scenarios, computers can try a tremendous number of guesses. Adding characters improves the search space drastically. For example, increasing the length from 4 characters to 8 characters with the same 26-character alphabet gives:
26⁸ = 208,827,064,576 combinations.
This explains why increasing password length can make brute-force guessing much more difficult.
Realistic Example
A Weak Social Media Password
Imagine Someone using this password for their social media account:
Anitha1998
The password is the name and a birth year. It is not random, but it has ten characters. An attacker who knows the person’s name, approximate birth year, location or any other publicly available information can include these into targeted guesses of the password. The attacker could also try common patterns such as names and then years, birthdays or familiar terms.
The lesson is important: the number of characters is not all that counts in terms of password security. Predictability is important too.
Random Password For Online Banking
Let’s say a second user generates a password using a credible password generator:
vT7#qL9!xR2@pM8$wK4
It’s long, unique, and randomly created. Unlike a password based on a name or date of birth, it has no obvious pattern for an attacker to try.
If the account additionally uses MFA, and the website limits repeated login attempts effectively, then the total security is much better. That’s why security experts often advise unique passwords, in addition to other authentication protections.
Cracking A Password Is Not Always A Matter Of Brute Force
That’s a myth that hackers have to test every single password.
In fact, attackers generally target the low-hanging fruit first.
They might try:
- Previously compromised passwords
- Popular passwords
- Dictionary words
- Password variations
- Personal information
- Reused credentials
- Passwords from old data breaches
This does not mean a password can’t be long but still vulnerable if it’s predictable or has already been exposed. Rather than demanding complicated passwords for their own sake, NIST suggests testing new passwords against databases of popular or compromised values.
How To Make A Password More Difficult To Crack?
Use these password security practices:
Use Long Passwords
Use long passwords or passphrases instead of short passwords with many intricate rules.
Generate Random Passwords
Avoid using names, birth dates, pet names, phone numbers, favourite teams, and easy-to-guess terms.
Don’t reuse your passwords
Every essential account should have a different password. If one service is compromised, the attackers should not be able to use the same password to access your other accounts.
Use a Password Manager
A password manager can generate and store unique passwords so you don’t have to remember dozens of complex credentials.
OWASP expressly recommends that websites be compatible with password managers and that users should be allowed to paste passwords into authentication boxes.
Turn on Multi-Factor Authentication
MFA gives an extra layer of protection. Your attacker will still require a second authentication factor to access your account, even if they know your password.
Check out Passkeys
For supported services, passkeys can decrease the need to use regular passwords and provide phishing-resistant authentication.
Generate A Strong Password With Our Password Generator
Doing it manually can be tough to create a new random password for every account. That’s why you can use the ExplainMeTech Password Generator to instantly generate secure, random passwords for your accounts.
Try the ExplainMeTech Password Generator – https://explainmetech.com/tools/password-generator/
When generating a password, make sure it is long enough and do not use anything personal or obvious. Write down your passwords where you can readily get to them . Use a password manager you trust .
How To Know If Your Password Is Strong?
A good password should preferably be:
- Long
- Random or randomly generated
- Unique to one account
- Not based on personal information
- Not commonly used
- Not previously exposed in a breach
And remember, password strength is only part of the account security picture. Secure password storage, MFA, rate restriction, breach detection, safe account-recovery mechanisms all matter.
Conclusion
So how long does it take to crack a password? It is contingent upon the password and the circumstances of the attack. Short, predictable, re-used, or leaked passwords might be easy to guess even if they are complex. Long, unique, random passwords are significantly more difficult to guess, particularly when combined with MFA and other security features. The idea is not to come up with a password that is apparently “unbreakable.” Create credentials that are long, unique, unpredictable, and secured by extra security mechanisms instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How fast can a password be cracked?
No one answer fits all. A short, common, or predictable password can be guessed very fast. A long, randomly generated password can be incredibly hard to crack. Also, the attack method and if the attacker has access to password hashes make a big impact.
2. Is a 12-character password strong enough?
A random 12-character password can be very secure, but the security depends on how the password is generated. A predictable 12 character password may be far less secure than a shorter random password. When available, longer passwords and passphrases are often better.
3. How easy is it for hackers to crack a strong password?
Even a robust password can be obtained by phishing, malware, data leaks or other assaults. Password strength is mostly used to resist guessing and cracking. Other layers of protection include using strong and unique passwords, MFA, and secure authentication methods.
4. Does adding special characters make a password uncrackable?
No. Symbols can enhance the possible choices, but a predictable password with a symbol is not automatically secure. Example changing the password to Password, doesn’t make it a decent password.
5. How to make the best password?
Use a long, unique, randomly generated password or strong randomly generated passphrase. Consider a password manager to help you establish and maintain unique credentials for each account. Consider using passkeys for the services you use, too.
References
- OWASP – Authentication Cheat Sheet — Password strength, length, password managers, and authentication best practices. OWASP Authentication Cheat Sheet
- NIST – SP 800-63B Digital Identity Guidelines — Password requirements, effective strength, and rate limiting. NIST SP 800-63B
- Microsoft Security — Password security and account protection guidance.
- Google Security — Password and account security guidance.
- Bitwarden – How Secure Is My Password? — Password length, randomness, brute-force resistance, and passphrases. Bitwarden Password Security Guide
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