312-50V11 · Question #741
Which of the following parameters describe LM Hash: I - The maximum password length is 14 characters II - There are no distinctions between uppercase and lowercase III - The password is split into…
The correct answer is C. I, II, and III. LM Hash has three well-known structural weaknesses: a 14-character max length, case insensitivity (passwords are uppercased before hashing), and the password is split into two independent 7-byte halves before DES encryption.
Question
Which of the following parameters describe LM Hash:
I - The maximum password length is 14 characters II - There are no distinctions between uppercase and lowercase III - The password is split into two 7-byte halves
Options
- AII
- BI
- CI, II, and III
- DI and II
How the community answered
(51 responses)- A6% (3)
- B2% (1)
- C90% (46)
- D2% (1)
Why each option
LM Hash has three well-known structural weaknesses: a 14-character max length, case insensitivity (passwords are uppercased before hashing), and the password is split into two independent 7-byte halves before DES encryption.
Statement II alone is incomplete - the 14-character limit and 7-byte split are equally defining and exploitable characteristics of LM Hash.
Statement I alone is incomplete - case insensitivity and the 7-byte split are equally defining characteristics that contribute to its weakness.
All three statements are accurate properties of the LAN Manager hash algorithm - it truncates or pads passwords to exactly 14 characters, converts all characters to uppercase before processing (eliminating case distinction), and splits the result into two 7-byte chunks that are each hashed independently with DES, making brute-force attacks far easier.
Statements I and II together are still incomplete without Statement III, which describes the split that makes LM Hash especially vulnerable to parallel cracking.
Concept tested: LAN Manager hash algorithm structural weaknesses
Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/security-policy-settings/network-security-do-not-store-lan-manager-hash-value-on-next-password-change
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