The Badge Archive

Games – Hack a Password

Info Needed for badge requirements: For a secure password: Use the VTK Password Checklist by GSUSA. Never reuse passwords across accounts. Change your password if you think it’s been hacked. Hackers can crack passwords in two main ways: Dictionary Attack: Hackers use lists of common passwords to guess quickly. Brute Force Attack: Hackers try every possible combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Longer passwords with mixed characters take much more time to crack.

Items Needed

  • Whiteboard or chart paper and marker
  • Stopwatch or timer
  • VTK Common Passwords from GSUSA (one or two copies for the troop to share)

Instructions

  1. A scout comes up to the board and thinks of a weak password (as insecure as possible). They draw a blank space on the board for each character in the password.
  2. Explain the game: Scouts will act as hackers trying to guess the password within three minutes. Scouts can guess one character (letter, number, or special character) at a time or try to guess the whole password. If the guessed character is correct, the scout reveals all its locations in the password.
  3. Round 1:
    • Set the timer for three minutes and let the troop work together to solve the weak password.
  4. Round 2:
    • Another scout creates another weak password using the Common Passwords handout as inspiration. The troop guesses the password with the same rules.
  5. Round 3:
    • A scout comes up with a strong password (secure and difficult to guess). Repeat the guessing game, alternating between strong and weak passwords for comparison.
  6. Talk about the game:
    • Which passwords were easiest to guess?
    • Which were hardest to crack?
    • Why is it important to have a strong password?
  7. Explain two common ways hackers crack passwords:
    • Dictionary attack: Hackers use databases of common passwords to guess quickly.
    • Brute force attack: Hackers try every combination of characters. Long passwords with mixed characters (letters, numbers, symbols) are harder to crack. For example, an eight-character password can be cracked in hours, while an 11-character password can take years.
Tia Kennard