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URL: www.packetstormsecurity.org
Client OS: Windows 95/98
Target OS: Windows 95/98
Price: Free
Description: ShowPass is a tool for extracting cached passwords from Windows 95/98 systems. The tool can be useful during penetration testing to illustrate the dangers of caching passwords. ShowPass demonstrates just how open and insecure an operating system Windows 95/98 really is. The tool can capture cached passwords for network connections, Lotus Notes, remote access, Internet access, and others. An attacker could use these passwords to access sensitive data or to log in as a user and exploit systems. This tool is very popular in universities and shared-system environments.
Use: The user must be logged into the Windows 95/98 system to be effective, and you, as the attacker, must have physical access to the system. ShowPass can be launched from a floppy disk. You then select whether to capture cached passwords or dial-in passwords. Slip the floppy into the system, launch the program, capture the passwords, and walk away. Figure 15-5 shows the ShowPass GUI and sample output.
You can attempt to guard against ShowPass by logging out when leaving a Windows 95/98 system unattended and enforcing password-protected screen savers. Also, always avoid caching passwords.
Benefits: ShowPass is useful for showing users the dangers of leaving a Windows 95/98 system logged in and unattended. The tool is free and easy to use. Also, ShowPass illustrates some of the weaknesses of the Windows 95/98 operating system and may convince you or company managers to move to a more secure operating system.
Con: The tool requires physical access and works only on Windows 9x systems.
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