What are the two hash formats used by SAM to store user passwords?

What are the two hash formats used by SAM to store user passwords?

• A. SHA-1 and SHA-256
• B. LANMAN and NTLM
• C. MD5 and BCrypt
• D. DES and AES

Answer: (B)

The two hash formats used by the Security Account Manager (SAM) to store user passwords are LANMAN and NTLM. LANMAN (LAN Manager) hashes were one of the earliest methods used with Windows operating systems to store passwords. However, this method is quite insecure by modern standards, as it uses a weak and outdated hashing algorithm that can be easily cracked. The LANMAN hash splits the password into two 7-character chunks, pads them, and then applies the DES (Data Encryption Standard) encryption algorithm. NTLM (New Technology LAN Manager) is a more secure hashing algorithm that replaced LANMAN. It provides a better level of security by using a more complex hashing process to store password hashes. NTLM hashes are generated using a combination of the password, a challenge from the server, and a specific algorithm. The other listed options focus on different hashing algorithms that are not utilized by SAM for user passwords. SHA-1 and SHA-256 are cryptographic hashing functions generally used for data integrity rather than password storage. MD5 and BCrypt are also hashing algorithms but do not relate to how SAM stores passwords. DES and AES are encryption algorithms, not hashing methods, and hence are not applicable to the context of password storage in SAM.

The two hash formats used by the Security Account Manager (SAM) to store user passwords are LANMAN and NTLM.

LANMAN (LAN Manager) hashes were one of the earliest methods used with Windows operating systems to store passwords. However, this method is quite insecure by modern standards, as it uses a weak and outdated hashing algorithm that can be easily cracked. The LANMAN hash splits the password into two 7-character chunks, pads them, and then applies the DES (Data Encryption Standard) encryption algorithm.

NTLM (New Technology LAN Manager) is a more secure hashing algorithm that replaced LANMAN. It provides a better level of security by using a more complex hashing process to store password hashes. NTLM hashes are generated using a combination of the password, a challenge from the server, and a specific algorithm.

The other listed options focus on different hashing algorithms that are not utilized by SAM for user passwords. SHA-1 and SHA-256 are cryptographic hashing functions generally used for data integrity rather than password storage. MD5 and BCrypt are also hashing algorithms but do not relate to how SAM stores passwords. DES and AES are encryption algorithms, not hashing methods, and hence are not applicable to the context of password storage in SAM.