Cipher's Log #2: Of Broken Hashes & Silent Persistence

Hey again, fellow wanderers of the wire.

This chapter took its time.

I’ll be honest — getting through cryptography basics was way harder than I expected, and not because the content was overwhelming. It was me. The procrastination, the distractions, the overthinking... it all piled up. There were days I stared at the tab, knowing exactly what I had to do — and still didn't. But I guess that’s how it goes sometimes. Progress doesn’t always come with momentum; sometimes it arrives in small, stubborn bursts.

But finally, I did it.

🧩 What This Arc Covered

• Hashing Algorithms – MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256. How they work, how they break.

• Cracking Techniques – Brute force, dictionary attacks, rule-based mods.

• Tools Explored:

  • Hashcat: powerful but a bit heavy on my VM setup.

  • John the Ripper: surprisingly efficient, clean, and often underappreciated.

  • hash-id, hashes.com, and custom wordlists also came in handy.

There’s something addictive about watching a terminal crack a hash — especially when the word behind it is something stupid like gator and it resolves to dangerous. You sit there thinking… how many layers of identity are we really wrapped in? Sometimes a hash reveals more than a name ever could.

💥 The High

There’s a different kind of rush when it’s not just theory anymore.

When I cracked the password of a real device using single-hash mode, it hit different.
Not a tutorial, not a CTF sandbox — a live, real-world string of obfuscation undone by my own effort. That moment when the hash collapsed and the plaintext dropped into my terminal?
Pure, unfiltered dopamine.
The kind of high that no simulation or course can replicate.
It felt like everything clicked — like I belonged here.

🌐 What I Learned (Beyond Tech)

This wasn’t just about passwords and encryption. It was also about pushing through mental fog. Learning to break down challenges — even the emotional kind — just like we break down ciphers.

There’s a strange parallel I kept noticing. How cracking a hash isn't just about force — it's about patience, smart wordlists, choosing the right algorithm. Kind of like life. You can’t brute-force clarity, you just try different approaches till one clicks.

And maybe that’s why I’m drawn to this field in the first place — the challenge, the chase, the quiet satisfaction when the pieces fit.

🛠️ Up Next: Exploits & Malware

With crypto fundamentals down, it’s time to head into the exploitation arc — EternalBlue, EternalRomance, Metasploit, the classics.

Honestly? This is the part I’ve been waiting for. The more psychological side of red teaming.
And maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to help others understand how all this connects to the bigger picture — not just of cybersecurity, but of thinking differently.

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Side Note:
Started working out too. Small wins, small consistency. Not just building skill, but discipline.
(Who knew the guy who used to procrastinate opening Wireshark is now lifting dumbbells 😭)

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Final Thought:
They say encryption keeps people safe.
But sometimes... it also keeps you from being seen.
Learning to break it taught me something — that whether it's data or doubt, things seem impossible until you learn to decrypt them.

This has been Cipher’s Log — Entry II.
The journey continues.

~Bornov (WizB)

Check GitHub for my notes and writeups