HydraInstall

Overview

This node integrates the Hydra tool to perform brute force attacks against network services, primarily for security testing and penetration testing purposes. It attempts to connect to a specified service on a target host using various credential combinations to identify valid login credentials.

A common scenario is testing SSH access by trying multiple username-password pairs from a dictionary file to find weak or default credentials. This helps security professionals assess the strength of authentication mechanisms.

For example, you can use this node to:

• Test SSH login security on a server by providing a dictionary of user:password pairs.
• Limit the number of login attempts to avoid lockouts or detection.
• Customize attack speed and behavior with options like slow attack mode or aggressive mode.

Properties

Output

The node outputs an array of items, each containing a JSON object with the following structure under the configured result field (default "hydra"):

• target: The target host and port string.
• service: The targeted service (e.g., "ssh").
• successfulAttempts: Array of objects representing successful login attempts, each with:
  • target: Host and port.
  • service: Service name.
  • login: Username found.
  • password: Password found.
  • attempt: Attempt count when success occurred.
• allAttempts (optional): If enabled, includes all failed attempts with details.
• cracked: Boolean indicating if any credentials were successfully cracked.
• duration: Duration of the attack in seconds.
• durationFormatted: Human-readable duration string.
• attemptCount: Total number of attempts performed.
• errors: Array of error messages captured during execution.

No binary data output is produced by this node.

Dependencies

• Requires the external command-line tool Hydra installed and accessible in the system environment.
• Uses shell execution to run Hydra commands.
• Requires access to the dictionary files on the local filesystem; paths are resolved to home directory if prefixed with ~.
• No internal API keys or credentials are managed by the node itself; it relies on the user to provide correct target information and dictionary files.

Troubleshooting

• Common Issues:

  • Hydra not installed or not in PATH: The node will fail to spawn the Hydra process.
  • Incorrect dictionary file path: The node resolves ~ but the file must exist and be readable.
  • Target host unreachable or wrong port: No successful attempts will be found.
  • Too low attempts limit may stop the attack prematurely.
  • Permissions issues running shell commands or accessing files.

• Error Messages:

  • Errors emitted by Hydra are captured and included in the output's errors array.
  • If [ERROR] appears in Hydra stderr output, the node terminates the attack early.
  • Common errors include connection refused, authentication failures, or invalid parameters.

• Resolution Tips:

  • Ensure Hydra is installed and executable from the command line.
  • Verify dictionary file paths and contents.
  • Confirm network connectivity to the target host and port.
  • Adjust attack options to balance speed and stealthiness.
  • Check node logs for detailed Hydra output.

Links and References

• Hydra Official Documentation
• Hydra GitHub Repository
• n8n Documentation on Custom Nodes