Passware Kit is an outstanding password recovery tool, capable of recovering passwords from a wide variety of file types and with built-in dictionary manager and GPU acceleration for maximum performance.
Detects over 280 file types including MS Office documents, PDFs, ZIP and RAR archives, Lotus Notes documents, Bitcoin wallets, Mac iTunes backups and Windows admin accounts. Also analyzes memory images and hibernation files while extracting encryption keys from APFS, Dell FileVault 2, TrueCrypt VeraCrypt disks and BitLocker containers.
Features
Passware Kit provides an array of features and can be purchased in five versions – from basic password-cracking tools to the sophisticated suites used by law enforcement agencies. The basic edition offers automatic cracking algorithms and brute force attacks to recover passwords for documents such as Microsoft Word and Excel documents, email accounts, Windows passwords and websites, using dictionary attacks or Xieve (low level attack that checks combinations of lowercase letters and numbers) attacks; additionally it supports hardware acceleration via multiple core CPUs or GPUs to speed up this process further.
Decrypt full-disk encryption systems such as BitLocker, TrueCrypt and FileVault 2, decrypt APFS disk images on Mac computers using Apple T2 chip decrypt APFS disk images decrypt logins for both Windows and Mac users from memory images and hibernation files instantly.
Passware provides automatic updates and support, offering four major releases and multiple minor updates each year. Based on user feedback, its password recovery/decryption methods continuously evolve while its interface remains user-friendly and straightforward.
The software runs on both a Windows and Linux computer and can be installed onto either virtual machines or bootable USB drives, as well as offering various free features, including unlimited trial use, password reset utility access and online documentation access.
Pricing
Passware Kit is an all-in-one password and file decryption solution with multiple methods to decrypt passwords and files. It can decrypt and unlock various accounts or files, scan for passwords, or work in batch mode to recover multiple files at the same time – this software provides multiple uses that make its pricetag well justified.
Though Passware Kit may cost more than other competitors, its extensive support for file types and accounts more than makes up for this disadvantage. While other tools offer limited features, Passware Kit can decrypt BitLocker, TrueCrypt, FileVault2 hard disks; extract encryption keys from memory images; recover passwords on both Windows and Mac computers; as well as extract encryption keys from memory images for decrypting them all.
NVIDIA GPU cards allow it to accelerate password cracking up to 3,200 times faster than traditional brute-force methods, as well as distribute recovery processes across a network of computers running Windows or Linux for linear performance scalability.
Passware Kit comes in five versions for personal and professional use: home for individuals at $195; business versions tailored for forensic investigators and law enforcement agencies priced at $795 each; and an annual maintenance subscription plan that provides updates. All versions come complete with annual maintenance updates.
Reliability
Passware Kit is one of the most dependable password recovery programs on the market, which explains its widespread adoption among law enforcement agencies and corporate security departments. Capable of unlocking passwords across over 350 file types, with automatic cracking algorithms including Brute-Force checks for combinations of letters and numbers while Dictionary Attacks look for reverse spelling or symbol-based attacks; users can customize attack methods depending on which form of encryption they are targeting with this application.
The software can analyze live memory images and hibernation files, extract encryption keys from hard disks and Windows and Mac accounts, decrypt BitLock encrypted drives and full disk encryption with FileVault 2 or APFS; plus it runs off of a bootable Linux USB drive to avoid installing software onto target computers.
Passware Kit comes in various editions, each designed for specific uses. For example, its Business Edition was specifically created for corporate security administrators and IT professionals looking to gain access to password-protected files within their network. It can complete a full system scan in less than an hour while reporting all files, containers and passwords it finds as well as encryption strength levels and any possible recovery solutions available.
Conclusions
Passware Kit is an advanced password recovery solution with a comprehensive set of features, from decrypting BitLocker volumes to recovering logins for Windows Administrators and email accounts. Furthermore, Passware Kit utilizes hardware acceleration technology such as NVIDIA GPUs to accelerate password recovery processes for optimal speed.
Passware Kit’s key advantage lies in its ability to extract encryption keys for hard drives and decrypt files stored there, as well as to acquire backups and data from cloud services such as Apple iCloud, Microsoft OneDrive, and Dropbox. You can recover passwords for over 280 file types including web browsers with this tool as well as decrypt keychain passwords on Apple devices.
Passware Kit Forensic can also help identify passwords buried within memory dumps, making it an invaluable asset when conducting structured analysis with the Volatility Framework. Our benchmark sample contained 48 passwords; however, this figure should be taken with caution because it includes anomalous warm boot samples.
This application offers numerous reports and log files that provide an overview of activity during password recovery operations, making them useful in reviewing each attack’s success without having to manually review individual reports.