rules file support in attack mode 3

[Skwerl23]

if your keyspace is small or dictionary is small, then it doesn't really matter if you put it in a dictionary or use a piped option.

i've been struggling with very similar issues as you.

John can have a rule such as:
M X0MZ
to repeat the entire word.

hashcat has the rule d to duplicate it.

either one will repeat your four characters.

If you're on linux, you can make masks with hashcat or crunch.
hashcat -a 3 --stdout ?d?d?d?d
or
crunch 4 4 1234567890

then pipe these into hashcat with the rule file that has d

however 8 character passwords of all digits on even the simplest hardware only takes a few moments.

however due to these methods, there are no "fast" ways when you have to create all these crazy adjustments.

This is where you have to start thinking like your passwords. and using educated rules and guesses. as a pen tester i had to do this to 16 character passwords, and it was very very time consuming. but an 8 digit number repeated twice shouldn't take but maybe 5 mins. as digits are very easy to crack.

You're better off asking more precisely what type of passwords you are looking for and we can help you with the fastest method possible.