L0pht Crack
L0pht Crack was the premier windows password cracking application (back in the day).
Written by a group of hackers called "The L0pht" which was a reference to their apartment/loft they previously rented that was a sort of "safe haven" for hackers and friends a like to come hang out.
L0pht Crack has a multitude of methods for breaking lm and ntlm password hashes to include bruteforce, dictionary attacks, and now rainbow table attacks. Also with the new "L0pht Crack 6" they have now added the ability to break unix/linux password hashes.
Some good/selling points:
Pre-computed Dictionary Support
Pre-computed password files is a must have feature in password auditing. L0phtCrack 6 supports pre-computed password hashes. Password audits now take minutes instead of hours or days.
Windows & Unix Password Support
L0phtCrack 6 imports and cracks Unix password files. Perform network audits from a single interface.
Remote password retrieval
L0phtCrack 6 has a built-in ability to import passwords from remote Windows, including 64-bit versions of Vista, Windows 7, and Unix machines, without requiring a third-party utility.
Scheduled Scans
System administrators can schedule routine audits with L0phtCrack 6. Audits can be performed daily, weekly, monthly, or just once, depending on the organization's auditing requirements.
Password Audit Method
Displays the completion of all four methods L0phtCrack 6 uses: Dictionary, Hybrid, Precomputed, and Brute Force.
Password Character Sets
Reports the completion of the various character sets being audited, including, Alpha, Alphanumeric, Alphanumeric/Symbol, Alphanumeric/Symbol/International.
Summary Report
Password Statistics as Locked, Disabled, Expired, or if the password is older than 180 days. Audit Summary
Number of Accounts cracked and the number of Domains audited.
Foreign Password Cracking
L0phtCrack 6 supports foreign character sets for Brute Force, as well as foreign dictionary files. Pull down menus change for language and character set. L0phtCrack 6 ships with several foreign dictionaries.