hashcat v8.0.0 Released October 26, 2026 with PCFG and FPGA bcrypt
Open-source password recovery tool hashcat has released v8.0.0, which it calls its largest update, adding PCFG attacks, hash recipes for custom hash schemes wit
Image source: @hashcat
On October 26, 2026, the open-source password recovery platform hashcat announced version 8.0.0, calling it the largest update in the project's history.
Image Credit: @hashcat
The v8.0.0 update adds probabilistic context-free grammar (PCFG) attacks, hash recipes for custom hash schemes without writing a hash mode, and bcrypt support on FPGA boards.
PCFG Attacks and Hash Recipes
hashcat v8.0.0 adds two password-recovery features:
- PCFG Attacks: Adds a documented PCFG attack mode.
- Hash Recipes: Allows operators to express custom hash schemes as expressions such as
pbkdf2_sha256(md5(pass), salt, iter, 32), run them with GPU acceleration, and crack custom schemes without writing a hash mode.
FPGA bcrypt Support and Multi-Hardware Acceleration
hashcat also documents FPGA and multi-backend support:
- FPGA bcrypt Support: Mode 75000 runs bcrypt on FPGA boards.
- Multi-Backend Compatibility: hashcat is MIT-licensed and supports CUDA, HIP, Metal, and OpenCL, including multiple devices and mixed device types in one system.
hashcat's requirements documentation lists the drivers and runtimes it needs.
Sources
- hashcat Official X (@hashcat): hashcat v8.0.0 Release Announcement
- GitHub Repository: hashcat/hashcat v8.0.0 Release