ElcomSoft Advanced PDF Password Recovery vs hollows_hunter: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)

ElcomSoft Advanced PDF Password Recovery

Forensics teams and incident responders working with seized or leaked encrypted PDFs need Advanced PDF Password Recovery for one reason: it removes user permission restrictions instantly while recovering 'open' passwords through GPU-accelerated attacks that crack 256-bit AES in hours rather than weeks. The Thunder Tables technology recovers 40-bit RC4 keys in minutes, a speed advantage that matters when you're processing evidence under timeline pressure. Skip this if your workflow involves recovering passwords from password managers or cloud services; this tool is strictly for PDF files, and the on-premises deployment means you're managing infrastructure yourself.

hollows_hunter

Incident responders and threat hunters investigating suspected process memory compromise need hollows_hunter for one reason: it catches in-memory implants and hooks that EDR telemetry often misses, giving you direct forensic proof of what actually ran. The 2,318 GitHub stars reflect real adoption among practitioners doing manual malware analysis, not marketing reach. Skip this if your team lacks Windows reverse-engineering skills or expects automated remediation; hollows_hunter is a scalpel for hands-on investigators, not a fire-and-forget detection engine.