HiddenSSH is a platform focused on advanced OpenSSH security configurations and hardening guides.

What is Hashcat used for?

Hashcat is a powerful password recovery and cracking tool used by security researchers and penetration testers to audit password strength and recover lost credentials.

Does HiddenSSH provide Hashcat scripts?

Yes, HiddenSSH offers a curated set of Hashcat scripts to automate attacks, load custom wordlists, and optimize performance for various hash types.

What types of hashes can Hashcat crack?

Hashcat supports a wide range of hash types including MD5, SHA1, NTLM, WPA2, bcrypt, and many others used in authentication systems.

Can Hashcat use GPU acceleration?

Yes, Hashcat is optimized for GPU acceleration and supports CUDA, OpenCL, and other frameworks to maximize cracking speed.

HiddenSSH - Secure OpenSSH Hardening

Hashcat

Hashcat is a standalone password cracking tool with optional support for distributed coordination using the Brain feature.
The Brain enables clients to avoid redundant candidate testing, but it is not a full clustering or job distribution system like MPI.
It is best suited for specific, controlled environments and may introduce performance trade-offs depending on network conditions and attack complexity.

Hashcat Brain

Click to toggle the brain server command and usage notes.

hashcat --brain-server --brain-port <port> --brain-password <password> &

• Starts the Hashcat Brain server, which coordinates cracking efforts by tracking previously attempted passwords across multiple clients.
• Default port: 6863 if --brain-port is not specified.
• The & runs the process in the background. Use fg to bring it back to the foreground:

fg

FAQ Bind IP

Hashcat Brain, bind IP.

FAQ Cracking Speed

Hashcat Brain, bind IP.

Hashcat brain client

Hashcat Brain, Client.

hashcat -D <device_number> -w 4 -m <hash_type> -a <attack_mode> /home/user/hash/hashcat.hash \ --session <brain-client-name> \ --brain-client \ --brain-client-features 3 \ --brain-host 192.168.0.1 \ --brain-session <These can be completely different names from the server and still work> \ --brain-password password1234

The hash file must be local to the system running the hashcat command — even when using --brain-client.

The -m <hash_type> (hash mode) must be the same for all Hashcat clients using the same --brain-session.

The -a <attack_mode> (attack mode) must also be the same across all clients participating in the same --brain-session.

FAQ: Hashcat Brain & Client, Encryption

Network Security for Hashcat Brain Connections

Is traffic between Hashcat Brain and clients encrypted?
No — traffic between --brain-client and --brain-server is not encrypted. All data sent across the network, including session details, candidate passwords, and brain passwords, is transmitted in plaintext.

Does Hashcat have a built-in function to encrypt Brain traffic?
No — Hashcat does not include any built-in encryption for Brain client/server communication. Traffic is sent in plaintext and must be secured externally if needed.

How can I secure Brain traffic?
To protect against eavesdropping or unauthorized access, use a secure and trusted local network. If you require encryption, route traffic through a secure tunnel using tools like a VPN or SSH tunneling.

Exposing the Brain server to the public internet is strongly discouraged. Restrict access to trusted machines or secure network segments only.

FAQ: Minimum Requirements to Run Hashcat as a Brain Client

System requirements for participating as a Hashcat Brain client

What are the minimum requirements to run Hashcat as a Brain client?
At minimum, a client should have:

✔️ A modern CPU (dual-core or better)

✔️ At least 2 GB of RAM (8 GB+ recommended)

✔️ A compatible GPU with OpenCL support (NVIDIA or AMD) — optional but recommended

✔️ Access to the same hashlist as other clients

✔️ A stable network connection to the Brain server

Clients do not need high-end GPUs, but performance will scale with hardware. CPU-only clients can still participate but will contribute less work.

Headless or script-based usage is fully supported — no GUI is required.

SSH Tunnel for Hashcat Brain Client

Run Brain server on localhost and connect securely over SSH

ssh -L 16666:127.0.0.1:16666 user@brain-server-ip

Brain must be running on 127.0.0.1 on the remote system.

Then run the Hashcat client like this:

hashcat -D 2 -w 4 -m <hash_type> -a <attack_mode> hashcat.hash \ --session client1 \ --brain-client \ --brain-client-features 3 \ --brain-host 127.0.0.1 \ --brain-port 16666 \ --brain-session shared-session \ --brain-password yourpassword