08-12-2020, 09:04 AM
the cost doesn't matter at all. it will change depending on your hardware etc. That's a feature (the user shouldn't wait "too long" for the software to decrypt the files, but it should still be quite secure... therefore the system the user uses is "benchmarked" and depending on the performance, the cost factor will change probably).
Again, the cost factor is not the problem.
The problem is that JohnTheRipper as mentioned above already, only supports AES-256, while your file is using AES-128 (a different key size and therefore encryption/decryption algorithm !).
JTR doesn't crack it, because it's not yet supported to crack AES-128 files. The test / example from above was indeed meant to use the "Ciaociao123" example to proof this. so it should be quite obvious how to crack *exactly* your file.
Don't get confused by this cost factors, they are NOT the problem. The main decryption algorithm is (JTR only supports AES-256) and we need to find out if AES-128 can be detected from the .axx file metadata (I currently think it can't, the AxCrypt software probably just tries one after the other and as soon as one decrypted the file correctly it is done. If none could open the file, the password is wrong. This is just an assumption, of course).
Again, the cost factor is not the problem.
The problem is that JohnTheRipper as mentioned above already, only supports AES-256, while your file is using AES-128 (a different key size and therefore encryption/decryption algorithm !).
JTR doesn't crack it, because it's not yet supported to crack AES-128 files. The test / example from above was indeed meant to use the "Ciaociao123" example to proof this. so it should be quite obvious how to crack *exactly* your file.
Don't get confused by this cost factors, they are NOT the problem. The main decryption algorithm is (JTR only supports AES-256) and we need to find out if AES-128 can be detected from the .axx file metadata (I currently think it can't, the AxCrypt software probably just tries one after the other and as soon as one decrypted the file correctly it is done. If none could open the file, the password is wrong. This is just an assumption, of course).