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How to install John the Ripper

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To install John the Ripper, follow these steps depending on your operating system:

1. Installing on Linux

Most Linux distributions, like Ubuntu, include John the Ripper in their repositories. You can install the tool using your package manager:

  • Step 1: Update your package list.
sudo apt update

Step 2: Install John the Ripper.

sudo apt install john

Step 3: Verify the installation.

john --help

This installs the community edition. For the bleeding-edge version or jumbo version, follow the steps under Compiling from Source below.

2. Installing on macOS

You can use Homebrew (a package manager for macOS) to install John the Ripper:

  • Step 1: Open Terminal and install Homebrew (if not installed).
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Step 2: Install John the Ripper.

brew install john-jumbo

Step 3: Verify the installation.

john --help

3. Installing on Windows

John the Ripper isn’t natively supported on Windows, but you can run it using a Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) or download precompiled binaries.

Using WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux):

  • Step 1: Install WSL by running the following in PowerShell:
wsl --install

Step 2: Install Ubuntu from the Microsoft Store and set up WSL.

Step 3: Once inside the WSL terminal, install John the Ripper with:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install john

Downloading precompiled binaries for Windows:

  • Step 1: Download the John the Ripper Jumbo version from OpenWall.
  • Step 2: Extract the downloaded zip file and navigate to the run directory.
  • Step 3: Open a command prompt in the run directory and execute John the Ripper:
john.exe --help

4. Compiling from Source (Advanced Option)

This option allows you to get the latest features and optimizations in John the Ripper Jumbo Edition.

Steps for Linux/macOS:

  • Step 1: Clone the John the Ripper Jumbo repository:
git clone https://github.com/openwall/john -b bleeding-jumbo john-jumbo
cd john-jumbo/src

Step 2: Install the necessary dependencies:

sudo apt install build-essential libssl-dev

Step 3: Compile the tool:

./configure && make -s clean && make -sj4

Step 4: Use John from the run directory:

cd ../run
./john --help

5. Basic Usage Example

After installation, you can start using John the Ripper to crack password hashes:

  • Create a hash file (hash.txt) with the hashes you want to crack.
  • Run the following command to begin cracking:
john hash.txt