Microsoft Account DPAPI Password Extractor (MadPassExt)

Windows uses the Data Protection API (DPAPI) to secure stored information and sensitive data, such as passwords and credentials in general, private keys, and other confidential data either generated by the operating system or by an application.

The master DPAPI key is generated for a Microsoft account that logs in with Windows and the information is stored locally in the “AppData” folder. You might need this key if you are trying to recover passwords previously encrypted with DPAP, but getting it might be tricky. Luckily, there are simple solutions that can help you out.

Microsoft Account DPAPI Password Extractor (or, in short, MadPassExt), is a simple software utility designed to help you get the unique DPAPI password generated for your Microsoft account. The application requires no installation and is ready to use as soon as you double click on the main executable file.

The main window is simple, betraying the fact that the application was designed with functionality in mind, rather than looks. In fact, using it is pretty simple, as detailed below.

You are prompted to fill in the password of your Microsoft account. There is also a field where you can provide the Microsoft account cache file or folder, but this piece of information is optional. Usually, this path is “C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\CloudAPCache\MicrosoftAccount\[Account ID]\Cache\CacheData”. Leaving this field blank instructs MadPassExt to find this path automatically.  MadPassExt starts decrypting the cache file. Note that this application requires administrator privileges to work, otherwise you might get an error. Conveniently enough, there is a button to re-launch the tool as an administrator.

Although simple, MadPassExt comes in handy when you want to obtain the DPAPI password associated to your Microsoft account. With the click of a button, you can copy the password to your clipboard and use it wherever you need to.