Show HN: Time to Hack

The password security landscape has changed little in recent years. Websites still rely on outdated rules to determine the strength of user passwords, often giving users misleadingly high marks for weak passwords like "Password1!". This is a problem that even the most seasoned attackers can crack in mere minutes.

I was tired of watching these outdated rules fail to reflect actual security, so I decided to build my own solution: Time To Hack. This Chrome extension estimates how long it would take to crack your password as you type, using advanced techniques such as entropy analysis and pattern recognition.

How It Works (Under the Hood)

The core logic behind Time To Hack comes from Dropbox's zxcvbn library, but it goes beyond simple rule-based checking. Instead, it uses machine learning algorithms to analyze patterns and calculate true entropy – not just random guessing space.

This means that even seemingly complex passwords like "Dragon@123" are not considered strong, as the algorithm knows how attackers can use common patterns to crack them. By using this advanced approach, Time To Hack provides a more accurate picture of your password's security than traditional methods.

But Time To Hack is not just about theory – it's also about practice. It incorporates realistic attack scenarios, making it clear that no password is truly secure. This means that even the strongest-looking passwords can still be vulnerable to certain types of attacks.

A Call for Contributions

I welcome contributions to the Time To Hack project! Whether you have a bug fix, a feature request, or suggestions for improving documentation, your input is invaluable. By working together, we can make this tool an even more powerful resource for password security awareness.

So if you're interested in helping shape the future of password security, check out the Time To Hack project and see how you can get involved.