Broker Check

How Long Does It Take to Break a Password?

August 29, 2022

Jacob Folbrycht of Muninn.ai has a table displaying the time it would take a hacker to break a password. The table shows 4 to 18 characters in the following stages of complexity:

  • Numbers only.
  • Lower case letters.
  • Mixture of upper and lower case letters.
  • Numbers, upper case and lower case letters.
  • Numbers, upper and lower case letters, and symbols.                                

Here are some highlights:

  • 4 and 5 character passwords in any format can be broken instantly,
  • Number only passwords up to 10 characters can be broken instantly.
  • Passwords of 8 characters or less can be broken within 8 hours, regardless of format.
  • An 18 character numbers only password can be broken in 9 months. In contrast, shorter more complicated passwords take much longer:
  • One year for a 13 character lower case password.
  • Five years for an 11 character upper and lower case, or a 10 character password with numbers, upper case, lower case and symbols. Longer complicated passwords? Beyond a human lifetime.