Which method combination can yield passwords without cracking, as described in the material?

• A. Brute force only
• B. Sniffing cleartext traffic and keylogging
• C. Phishing and social engineering
• D. Passwords written on sticky notes left in the office

Answer: (B)

Passwords can be obtained without cracking by capturing credentials as they are used or entered. Sniffing cleartext traffic lets an attacker read credentials sent over the network in unencrypted form, such as login data in plain HTTP or other unencrypted protocols. Keylogging records what a user types, so passwords entered into login prompts or password fields are captured directly. Together, these methods yield passwords without needing to decrypt or crack password hashes. Other options rely on breaking passwords through computation (brute force), tricking users into revealing them (phishing and social engineering), or physical leaks like sticky notes, which are different avenues of obtaining credentials and not the direct interception/recording approach described here.