Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

Which password recovery tool allows resetting passwords for unknown or lost Windows local accounts?

1. MegaPing

2. hashcat

3. John the Ripper

4. nmap

The correct answer is: John the Ripper

The correct tool for resetting passwords for unknown or lost Windows local accounts is John the Ripper. This is a widely recognized password recovery tool that can crack various types of password hashes, including those used by Windows. When it comes to Windows accounts, John the Ripper has the capability to take the hashed password from the SAM file and attempt to recover the original password through various techniques such as dictionary attacks, brute force attacks, and more. This flexibility and effectiveness in dealing with a range of password situations make it an invaluable tool for ethical hackers and security professionals dealing with password recovery. Other tools listed have different primary purposes. For example, MegaPing is primarily a network management tool. Hashcat is a powerful password recovery tool as well, but it is more tailored to cracking password hashes and does not specifically focus on the functionality of resetting Windows local account passwords. Nmap is used mainly for network discovery and security auditing, and does not have any password recovery functionalities. Hence, John the Ripper stands out as the specifically suited tool for resetting Windows local account passwords due to its targeted capabilities.