AI Password Cracking in 2025: Key Findings
AI-powered password cracking has become dramatically faster in 2025, with 85.6% of common passwords now crackable in under 10 seconds1. This acceleration stems from two main factors: advanced AI models that learn password patterns and powerful consumer GPUs.
Hardware Advances
The latest consumer graphics cards, particularly the RTX 5090, have transformed password cracking capabilities. Hive Systems reports that a setup of 12 RTX 5090s is now used as the benchmark for modern password cracking attempts2.
Time to Crack by Password Type
For bcrypt-hashed passwords (work factor 10):
- 8 characters or less: Instant crack regardless of complexity
- 10 characters with mixed characters: 27 years
- 12 characters with mixed characters: 244,000 years
... Show more...AI Password Cracking in 2025: Key Findings
AI-powered password cracking has become dramatically faster in 2025, with 85.6% of common passwords now crackable in under 10 seconds1. This acceleration stems from two main factors: advanced AI models that learn password patterns and powerful consumer GPUs.
Hardware Advances
The latest consumer graphics cards, particularly the RTX 5090, have transformed password cracking capabilities. Hive Systems reports that a setup of 12 RTX 5090s is now used as the benchmark for modern password cracking attempts2.
Time to Crack by Password Type
For bcrypt-hashed passwords (work factor 10):
- 8 characters or less: Instant crack regardless of complexity
- 10 characters with mixed characters: 27 years
- 12 characters with mixed characters: 244,000 years
- 16 characters with mixed characters: 19 trillion years2
AI's Impact
AI tools like PassGAN have revolutionized cracking by:
- Learning common password patterns
- Recognizing user habits like capitalizing first letters
- Predicting likely passwords instead of random guessing1
Security Recommendations
Recent findings emphasize:
- Length over complexity (minimum 16 characters)
- Use of password managers
- Implementation of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
- Adoption of passkeys where available3
- Messente - How Quickly Can AI Crack Your Password? ↩︎ ↩︎
- Hive Systems - Are Your Passwords in the Green? ↩︎ ↩︎
- Forbes - AI Can Crack Your Passwords Fast—6 Tips To Stay Secure ↩︎
Passwords that felt secure a year ago might not hold up in 2025. Hive Systems’ updated Password Table reveals just how much faster hackers can break into accounts today.
Corey Neskey (Hive Systems)
CerebralHawks
in reply to Zerush • • •2 billion years then? Not bad. Using my work password, it's 14 digits with numbers, symbols, and upper and lower case letters.
Another trick I like — and I'm not sure if it matters — is to use a passphrase with words from two (or more) different languages, neither of which is native to where I'm from, or where I live.
But since our passwords are changed every 60 days, I'm not sure it matters. We can't reuse passwords either.
Zerush
in reply to CerebralHawks • • •CerebralHawks
in reply to Zerush • • •redsand
in reply to Zerush • • •redsand
in reply to CerebralHawks • • •MeThisGuy
in reply to redsand • • •more like 2 weeks.
with M$ authentication app or physical hardware key at hand.
and everytime you have to log back in.
redsand
in reply to MeThisGuy • • •MeThisGuy
in reply to redsand • • •MeThisGuy
in reply to redsand • • •CerebralHawks
in reply to redsand • • •They also have us using Windows (albeit 11) in 2025.
Not my machine. I don't question their policies. I just abide by them. I'll occasionally make wisecracks about how my Macs don't do this bullshit or that bullshit, but the truth is, Mac has some bullshit that Windows doesn't, too. It goes both ways. And then there's Linux, which I think is morally superior to an extent but also requires more upkeep. Anyway, any real geek knows you really can't get away from the bullshit if you use a computer. It's just fun to say this vs that, like car guys with Ford and Chevy.
redsand
in reply to CerebralHawks • • •CerebralHawks
in reply to redsand • • •Yep, all too common. Despite the training videos we all must pass telling us NOT to do that.
Fun fact, one of those training videos is a series of videos with no quiz attached, you just watch a ~5 minute episode of a training-centric parody of The Office... and one of the characters has anime fan art in their cubicle. Not official art. Fan art. One of them is Killua from HUNTERxHUNTER, an 11 or 12 year old boy with psychokinetic powers. Nothing lewd (in any of the fan art) but some cool characters that pretty much only anime fans would recognise. And as an anime fan I'm just looking at this like "why?" I don't feel like my demograph (anime fan) needed to be appealed to in a corporate training video, but here we are.
redsand
in reply to CerebralHawks • • •CerebralHawks
in reply to redsand • • •I've seen some from knowb4 as well.
I don't think HR cares about the quality of the videos. I think, by offering the videos at all, they check a box that says they tried.
redsand
in reply to CerebralHawks • • •HubertManne
in reply to Zerush • • •