MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Passware, Inc., a provider of password recovery, decryption, and electronic evidence discovery software for computer forensics, law enforcement organizations, government agencies and private investigators, announces that Passware Kit Forensic v.12.1 can recover passwords for files from the newly released MS Office 2013 (aka MS Office 15). This hardware-accelerated password recovery solution for MS Office 2013 files – Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, Outlook email accounts and PST files, OneNote files, as well as VBA projects – is the first on the market.

MS Office 2013, with advanced SHA-2 hashing algorithm and AES-256 encryption, is significantly more secure compared to its ancestor – MS Office 2010, with SHA-1 hashing algorithm and AES-128 encryption. All the previous attempts to recover passwords for such secure files turned to endless brute-force calculations at a maximum speed of 40 passwords per second, which translated to thousands of years for a simple nine-letter password.

"With the release of the new, really secure, MS Office 15, we understand that regular password recovery methods are ineffective," - said Dmitry Sumin, president, Passware, Inc. "Because of this, we implemented hardware acceleration for MS Office 2013 password recovery and, equally important, instant decryption of these files through live memory analysis. We are committed to providing computer forensics with the most complete and up-to-date decryption toolkit that offers the widest choice of password recovery and decryption solutions – all approaches in one software product."

To make the password recovery process faster, Passware Kit uses hardware acceleration, which involves efficient usage of multiple CPUs, GPU graphic cards, and distributed computing. For MS Office 2013 files, with a single NVIDIA GPU card, the software achieves a record speed of over 700 passwords/second, which is currently the fastest password cracking solution available.

Passware's unique memory analysis technology is also supported for MS Office 2013 files. By acquiring the memory image of the target computer and extracting the encryption keys, Passware Kit 12.1 can instantly decrypt a document that was opened when the computer hibernated or the user logged off.

Other Passware Kit 12.1 features include:

• Instant decryption of QuickBooks v.2013 databases
• Instant decryption of FileMaker v.12 databases
• Hardware accelerated password recovery for PGP archives
• Password recovery for Mac OS 10.8 Users
• Password recovery for RAR v.4 archives
• Password recovery for Adobe Acrobat v.X, XI PDF documents
• Instant recovery of Windows user passwords from UPEK fingerprint scanners

More information on Passware Kit 12.1 features: http://www.lostpassword.com/news/pnl65.htm

Training and Certification for Professionals Handling Encrypted Electronic Evidence
Passware, in cooperation with Sumuri, which provides forensic training and services, will conduct a series of live and online training and certification classes designed to give students the knowledge and skills in handling encrypted electronic evidence. The next online training is in January 2013 and will last for three days. For more information visit: http://www.sumuri.com/index.php/features/passware-certification-and-forensic-training

Pricing and Availability
Passware Kit Forensic is available directly from Passware and a network of resellers worldwide, and can also be purchased in a bundle with EnCase – the leading eDiscovery solution by Guidance Software. The price is $995 with one year of free updates. Additional product information and screen shots are available at http://www.lostpassword.com/kit-forensic.htm.

About Passware, Inc.
Founded in 1998, Passware, Inc. is the worldwide leading maker of password recovery, decryption, and electronic evidence discovery software. Law enforcement and government agencies, institutions, corporations and private investigators, help desk personnel, and thousands of private consumers rely on Passware software products to ensure data availability in the event of lost passwords. Passware customers include many Fortune 100 companies and various US federal and state agencies, such as the IRS, US Army, US Department of Defense (DOD), US Department of Justice, US Department of Homeland Security, US Department of Transportation, US Postal Service, US Secret Service, US Senate, and US Supreme Court.

More information about Passware, Inc. is available at http://www.lostpassword.com/. Passware is a privately held corporation with its headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. and a software development and engineering office in Moscow, Russia.

SOURCE Passware, Inc.