Maskprocessor Cheat Sheet
Generate candidate passwords from Hashcat-style mask syntax.
Overview
Maskprocessor (mp64) streams passwords from mask definitions compatible with Hashcat (?l, ?u, ?d, ?s, custom charsets). Use it to pipe candidates into hashcat or to preview mask keyspace size without writing terabytes to disk.
Install
sudo apt install maskprocessoror hashcat-utils package:
mp64 --helpEssential commands
8 lowercase letters
mp64 ?l?l?l?l?l?l?l?lPassword1-style: upper + 7 lower + digit
mp64 ?u?l?l?l?l?l?l?l?dCustom charset file (hashcat custom charset -1)
mp64 -1 ?l?d ?1?1?1?1?1?1?1?1Common workflows
Pipe to hashcat —
mp64 ?u?l?l?l?l?l?d?d?d | hashcat -m 1000 hashes.txt -a 0 -Limit count / length —
mp64 --start-at=1000 --stop-at=5000 ?d?d?d?d?dmp64 -q ?l?l?l?l?l?l?l?l # quiet, machine-readableIncremental length (multiple masks) —
mp64 ?d?d?d?dmp64 ?d?d?d?d?dmp64 ?d?d?d?d?d?dCustom charset —
mp64 -1 abcABC012 ?1?1?1?1?1?1mp64 -o output.txt ?u?l?l?l?l?l?d?sEstimate keyspace —
mp64 --sequence ?l?l?l?l?l?l?l?l | wc -lFlags reference
?l | Lowercase |
|---|---|
?u | Uppercase |
?d | Digit |
?s | Special |
?a | All printable |
-1 | Custom charset |
--start-at | Skip first N |
--stop-at | Stop at N |
-o | Output file |
Tips
- Masks match Hashcat -a 3 syntax—design once, run in mp64 or hashcat directly.
- Prefer hashcat -a 3 on GPU for cracking; use mp64 when you need stdout piping or wordlist files.
- Start with short masks and policy hints (length 8–10, one upper, one digit) before full ?a keyspaces.
- Pair with hashcat --increment for progressive mask attacks on GPUs.