Is a High-End GPU Worth It for Password Cracking?
For Organizations, Storing Exposed Credentials Remains a Greater Risk Than Powerful GPUs
The rapid growth in computing power fueled by the AI surge has led to significant investments in graphics processing units (GPUs) and specialized accelerators.
A recent comparison of two high-end GPUs, the Nvidia H200 and AMD MI300X, with Nvidia’s top consumer GPU, the RTX 5090, reveals that the latter performs better than its counterparts in generating hashes for various algorithms.
The Study Conducted by Specops Software
Using the Hashcat benchmarking tool, researchers evaluated the performance of each GPU across five commonly used hashing algorithms: MD5, NTLM, bcrypt, SHA-256, and SHA-512.
The Results Showed a Notable Price-Performance Gap
The RTX 5090 consistently outperformed both the H200 and MI300X, demonstrating a notable price-performance gap.
“A 9-year-old consumer GPU rig, consisting of eight Nvidia GTX 1080s, achieved a higher NTLM hash cracking rate than today’s flagships.”
This implies that the primary concern for organizations should not be the power of GPUs but rather the vulnerability of their passwords.
The Real Risk Lies in Storing Exposed Credentials
Weak passwords remain a significant risk, as they can be easily cracked by professional attackers.
Password cracking is a numbers game, relying on the ability to rapidly generate and test hash combinations.
“The study demonstrates that the real risk lies in storing exposed credentials, which can be linked to specific individuals and used to gain unauthorized access to corporate systems.”
Mitigating the Risk
To mitigate this risk, organizations must focus on implementing robust password policies, including strict password requirements, regular updates, and multi-factor authentication.
Tools such as Specops Password Policy can aid in this effort by providing granular password policy management and continuous scanning for breached passwords.
“By identifying exposed credentials early, security teams can reset accounts and block attackers before they can cause harm.”
Achieving a Balance Between Password Complexity and User Experience
Organizations should strive to achieve a balance between password complexity and user experience, ensuring that passwords are secure yet memorable and easy to use.
Ultimately, organizations must prioritize education, awareness, and proactive measures to stay ahead of potential threats.