How To Unlock a Password-Protected RAR File in Ubuntu

In this article, we will explore different methods on how to unlock a password-protected RAR file in Ubuntu. Please note that attempting to unlock a password-protected file without the proper authorization may be illegal and unethical. Make sure you have the necessary rights and permissions before using any password cracking tools.

Method 1: Using RarCrack

RarCrack is a software specifically designed to recover passwords from RAR archives. It uses a brute-force attack to try different combinations of passwords until it finds the correct one.

First, install RarCrack by running the following command in your terminal:

sudo apt-get install rarcrack

After installing RarCrack, you can use it to unlock your RAR file with the following command:

rarcrack your_filename.rar --type rar

In this command, your_filename.rar should be replaced with the name of your RAR file. The --type rar parameter specifies that the file is a RAR archive.

Method 2: Using John the Ripper

John the Ripper is a powerful password cracking tool that supports various file formats, including RAR.

First, install John the Ripper by running the following command in your terminal:

sudo apt-get install john

To use it with RAR files, you need to convert the RAR file to a format that John the Ripper can understand using the rar2john command.

rar2john your_filename.rar > hash.txt

In this command, your_filename.rar should be replaced with the name of your RAR file. The output is redirected to hash.txt.

Then, you can use the john command with the --format=rar5 option to crack the password.

john --format=rar5 hash.txt

In this command, hash.txt is the file containing the hash generated by rar2john. The --format=rar5 parameter specifies that the hash is from a RAR5 archive.

Method 3: Using fcrackzip

If you have a password-protected ZIP file instead of a RAR file, you can use fcrackzip to perform a brute-force attack.

First, install fcrackzip by running the following command in your terminal:

sudo apt-get install fcrackzip

Then, you can use the fcrackzip command with options like -c to select the character set, -p to specify an initial string, and -l to set the password length range.

fcrackzip -c a -p abc -l 1-5 your_filename.zip

In this command, your_filename.zip should be replaced with the name of your ZIP file. The -c a parameter specifies that all characters should be tried, the -p abc parameter sets ‘abc’ as the initial string, and the -l 1-5 parameter sets the password length range to 1-5 characters.

Method 4: Using Wine

If you cannot find a suitable password cracking tool for Ubuntu, you can try running Windows programs that can unlock RAR files using Wine. Wine is a compatibility layer that allows running Windows applications on Linux. However, keep in mind that running Windows programs through Wine may not always work perfectly and can be time-consuming.

First, install Wine by running the following command in your terminal:

sudo apt-get install wine

Then, download a Windows program that can unlock RAR files, such as WinRAR or RAR Password Unlocker, and run it with Wine.

wine your_program.exe

In this command, your_program.exe should be replaced with the name of your Windows program.

We hope this guide has been helpful in showing you how to unlock a password-protected RAR file in Ubuntu. Remember, it’s important to respect the privacy and rights of others when using these tools.