PT0-002 Vulnerability Discovery and Analysis Practice Question
A penetration tester has obtained a set of NTLM password hashes from a Windows domain controller. The tester wants to perform an offline cracking attack using GPU acceleration. Which tool is best suited for this purpose?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Hashcat
Hashcat is a powerful password cracker that supports GPU acceleration and can crack NTLM hashes efficiently.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Hashcat
Why this is correct
Correct. Hashcat is optimized for GPU-accelerated cracking.
- ✗
CrackMapExec
Why it's wrong here
CrackMapExec is for enumeration and exploitation, not cracking.
- ✗
John the Ripper
Why it's wrong here
John supports GPU but not as efficiently as Hashcat.
- ✗
Hydra
Why it's wrong here
Hydra is for online brute-force, not offline hash cracking.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PT0-003 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PT0-003 exam.