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    RAR5 AES-256 — Hashcat Mode 13000

    TL;DR — RAR5 (introduced 2013, default in WinRAR 5.0+) uses AES-256 in CBC mode with PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 key derivation. The PBKDF2 iteration count is high (32,768+ on default settings, configurable higher), making per-password GPU verification substantially slower than RAR3, WinZip AES, or ZipCrypto. Recovery feasibility depends entirely on password strength.

    RAR5 design improvements

    RAR5 redesigned encryption around modern primitives: AES-256 (vs AES-128 in RAR3), SHA-256 (vs SHA-1), and PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 (vs RAR3's custom KDF).

    The PBKDF2 iteration count defaults to 32,768 in WinRAR 5.0 and can be increased via advanced settings. Higher iteration counts directly throttle brute-force throughput.

    Recovery realism

    RAR5 is the strongest archive password protection in common use. The combination of AES-256 cipher, SHA-256 hash, and high PBKDF2 iterations makes per-password GPU verification very slow.

    Recovery is feasible only for short or predictable passwords. Strong random passwords are realistically secure for the foreseeable future.

    In our experience, RAR5 archives protected with manager-generated passwords are not recoverable on any reasonable budget.

    Practical implications for owners

    If you set a memorable password (12 characters or fewer, common pattern), recovery may succeed. If you used a password manager and saved a strong random password, recovery is extremely unlikely.

    The honest answer for RAR5: tell us what you remember about the password, run a free check, decide based on real signal.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Why is RAR5 harder than RAR3?
    AES-256 vs AES-128 (symbolic — both beyond brute force), but more importantly: PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 with 32,768 iterations vs RAR3's custom KDF that's faster on GPUs. RAR5 verifies passwords much slower per attempt.
    Is there any cipher-level attack on RAR5?
    No. AES-256 has no practical attacks. The KDF is solid PBKDF2. Recovery is purely a password-search problem.
    Can I tell RAR5 from RAR3 by the file?
    Yes. WinRAR and 7-Zip print the format version. The file signature differs. RAR5 archives commonly use the .rar extension, same as RAR3 — but internally they're distinct formats.
    What's the maximum PBKDF2 iteration count?
    WinRAR allows configuration up to ~64M iterations through 'extreme security' settings, though almost no real archives use such extreme values.

    Related references

    m12500Legacy RAR generationm11600Modern strongm13600Modern strong encryption

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