Pete Finnigan's Oracle Security Weblog

I found a great tool mentioned on the pen-test list on security focus. The thread is titled "RE: Password Audit tools" and this particular item mentions a tool called http://www.oxid.it/cain.html - (broken link) Cain and Abel. I didn't recognise that the tool was Cain and Abel to start with as just the URL was given. I actually came across this tool probably more than a year ago when it was recommended to me by a good friend in Germany.

I downloaded at that time and tried it. I was amazed at the details this tool can find on a PC that it is run on. The tool according to the website is a password recovery tool for MS Windows. It goes on to say that the tool allows easy recovery of passwords by sniffing the network, cracking encrypted passwords using various techniques such as dictionary attacks, brute force and cryptanalysis techniques. It can decode scrambled passwords, password boxes, cached passwords and analyze routing protocols. The program does not exploit bugs but uses weaknesses in protocols, standards etc.

The authors warn that the tool could cause damage and that they are not responsible if damage occurs. I ran it a few times with no issues. I was even able to recover a forgotten dial up password! Version 2.5 has been enhanced to allow analysis of encrypted protocols such as SHA-1 and HTTPS and can capture passwords from various authentication methods / protocols. It also contains various hash crackers, decoders and lots of other utilities.

This is a great tool. Anyone who is interested in the security of their Oracle installations should download and run this program and see for themselves the types of information and passwords that can be revealed. It is frightening when you realise that hackers or your employees can also do this.