Why It Took Microsoft 32 Years to Disable NTLM

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 11:31:37 +0100

32 years. That is how long it took Microsoft to disable NTLM, the protocol that handles Windows login authentication. A broken system linked to $10 billion in damages and some of the worst cyberattacks ever recorded. Hackers have been exploiting it since 2001. Here is the story of why it took this long.

On January 30, 2026, Microsoft announced they will finally disable NTLM by default in future Windows releases.

Cracking Windows Domain Admin Passwords Just Got Simple

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 15:09:59 +0100

Cracking Windows domain admin passwords just got simple. A massive set of rainbow tables just went public, a $600 laptop is enough, and it takes 12 hours max. This flaw has existed since 1999. Microsoft ignored it for 25 years. So Google decided to force the conversation. 🔓

The flaw is in NTLMv1. That’s an authentication protocol from 1993. When a Windows machine logs in over a network, it sends an encrypted response based on the user’s password. The problem? That encryption uses 56-bit DES. Cryptographers declared that dead decades ago.

Active-Directory on HackingPassion.com : root@HackingPassion.com-[~]

Why It Took Microsoft 32 Years to Disable NTLM

Cracking Windows Domain Admin Passwords Just Got Simple