install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install truecrack

local Homebrew formula metadata

Linux

Nixverified · 92%

nix profile install nixpkgs#truecrack

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/tr/truecrack/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Brute-force password cracker for TrueCrypt

Project links

Commands and aliases

truecrack

history

Project history and usage

TrueCrack is a GPLv3 brute-force password cracker for TrueCrypt volumes. The official README identifies version 3.6, Linux support, CUDA optimization, and both GPU and CPU execution.

Project history

TrueCrack belongs to the older TrueCrypt-era password-recovery and forensic tooling niche. Its README says the software is based on TrueCrypt and supports PBKDF2 key derivation functions using RIPEMD160, SHA512, and Whirlpool, plus XTS mode with AES, Serpent, and Twofish.

The project is intentionally focused rather than broad: it handles file-hosted and partition/device-hosted TrueCrypt volumes, hidden volumes, backup headers, dictionary attacks, and generated alphabet attacks. The README's performance section compares CPU and NVIDIA GPU timings, reflecting the period when CUDA acceleration was a major differentiator for brute-force recovery tools.

Adoption history

Reliable source-backed adoption evidence is thin beyond the official repository and package-manager presence. The Homebrew and Nix packages make the tool discoverable to security practitioners and collectors of legacy crypto/password tools, but the project itself documents a narrow, resource-heavy workflow and recommends a dedicated GPU board.

In package-manager catalogs, TrueCrack persists mostly as a specialized utility: useful when someone needs TrueCrypt-volume password recovery experiments, but not a general password-auditing framework.

How it is used

The README documents dictionary attacks with `truecrack -t truecrypt_file -w passwords_file` and alphabet attacks with `truecrack -t truecrypt_file -c alphabet -m maxlength`, with options for key derivation function, encryption algorithm, backup headers, hidden volumes, restore points, and CUDA/CPU configuration.

Build and installation follow the classic Autotools path: `./configure`, `make`, and `sudo make install`, with configure options for CUDA debug mode, CPU-only mode, and CUDA path selection.

Why package nerds care

TrueCrack is package-nerd-significant as a preserved C/CUDA security tool tied to the TrueCrypt ecosystem. It is the kind of package that matters less for daily use and more for keeping a historically important crypto-recovery workflow buildable from package managers.

Its formula is also a reminder that package collections include legacy forensic utilities whose upstream documentation is sparse but operationally specific.

Timeline

v3.6: The README identifies the project as TRUECRACK v3.6.
TrueCrypt basis: README says the software is based on TrueCrypt and targets TrueCrypt volumes.
Current README: documented usage includes dictionary attacks, generated alphabet attacks, GPU/CPU operation, hidden volumes, backup headers, and Autotools installation.

Related projects

TrueCrypt, CUDA, PBKDF2, RIPEMD160, SHA512, Whirlpool, AES, Serpent, Twofish

Sources

security posture

Risk level: red

escape, surveillance, or offensive capability signal.

Risk classifier

red risk · medium confidence · escape-surveillance-offensive

Why

escape, surveillance, or offensive capability signal

Signals

text:password cracker

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 13 platform targets.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`truecrack`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-07-08

manager version3.5

manager updated

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://github.com/lvaccaro/truecrack

infoNo package-manager update timestamp was available.low confidence
infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/lvaccaro/truecracknone confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:truecrack
Version	3.5
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/truecrack
Homepage	https://github.com/lvaccaro/truecrack
Repository	https://github.com/lvaccaro/truecrack
Upstream docs	https://github.com/lvaccaro/truecrack#readme
License	GPL-3.0-or-later
Source archive	https://storage.googleapis.com/google-code-archive-downloads/v2/code.google.com/truecrack/truecrack_v35.tar.gz
Bottle	available (on arm64_big_sur, arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, big_sur, catalina, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	truecrack
Version Scheme	0
Revision	0
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	no
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

truecrack

nix profile install nixpkgs#truecrack

normalized package name match
Matched by: Truecrack

nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/tr/truecrack/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/truecrack.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
Nucleus package database
av.db category and tag curation
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
external package-manager database matches
package relationship graph
package version freshness
package-page enrichment

Install truecrack with Homebrew, Nix