Installing John the Ripper Jumbo on Ubuntu

Install John the Ripper Jumbo from source, extract ZIP hashes with zip2john, and use Hashcat to crack them.

This guide walks through installing John the Ripper Jumbo on Ubuntu for use with tools like zip2john, rar2john, and ssh2john. It also explains how to use John as a hash extraction tool while using Hashcat for cracking.

This is especially useful when working with encrypted ZIP archives recovered during labs, CTFs, or incident response exercises.

Why Install Jumbo Instead of Ubuntu's Default Version?

Ubuntu's repository often installs the non-Jumbo version of John the Ripper. That version may:

  • Lack zip2john
  • Lack modern formats
  • Not support --list=build-info
  • Be missing many cracking features

For best results, install Jumbo from source.

Install John the Ripper Jumbo

Step 1 – Update Ubuntu

sudo apt update

Step 2 – Install Dependencies

sudo apt install -y build-essential libssl-dev zlib1g-dev git

These packages provide compiler tools, OpenSSL support, compression libraries, and Git.

Step 3 – Download John Jumbo

git clone https://github.com/openwall/john.git

Step 4 – Enter Source Directory

cd john/src

Step 5 – Build John

./configure
make -s clean && make -sj4

The -sj4 flag uses 4 CPU threads. Change the number to match your system: 

make -sj8
make -sj2

Step 6 – Move to Run Directory

cd ../run

This is where the usable tools are located.

Step 7 – Verify Installation

./john --list=formats | head

Step 8 – Verify ZIP Tool Exists

ls | grep zip2john

Expected output:

zip2john

Optional: Add John to PATH

So commands work from any directory:

echo 'export PATH=$PATH:~/john/run' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Now you can run john and zip2john from any folder.

Using John With Hashcat

Hashcat does not read ZIP archives directly — it needs hashes, not archives. Use zip2john to extract a crackable hash: 

zip2john recovered.zip > zip.hash

Then pass the hash to Hashcat:

hashcat -m 13600 hash.txt rockyou.txt

ZIP to Hashcat Workflow

recovered.zip
   ↓
zip2john
   ↓
$pkzip$...
   ↓
hashcat
   ↓
password

Troubleshooting

Problem 1 – Unknown Option: --list=build-info

Error:

Unknown option: "--list=build-info"

Cause: You installed Ubuntu's default John package, not Jumbo.

Fix: Remove or ignore that version and install Jumbo from source:

git clone https://github.com/openwall/john.git
cd john/src
./configure
make -s clean && make -sj4

Problem 2 – cd ../run: No such file or directory

Error:

cd ../run
bash: No such file or directory

Cause: You were not inside john/src, so ../run did not exist.

Fix: Confirm your location, navigate to the correct folder, build, then move to run:

pwd
cd john/src
./configure
make -s clean && make -sj4
cd ../run

Problem 3 – zip2john Command Not Found

Cause: You are not in john/run, or PATH is not set.

Fix Option 1: Run from the run directory:

cd ~/john/run
./zip2john file.zip

Fix Option 2: Add to PATH:

echo 'export PATH=$PATH:~/john/run' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Problem 4 – Build Errors During make

Cause: Missing packages.

Fix:

sudo apt install -y build-essential libssl-dev zlib1g-dev
cd ~/john/src
make clean
make -sj4

Problem 5 – Hashcat Says Token Length Exception

Cause: You passed the full zip2john output including the filename prefix.

Example bad input:

recovered.zip:$pkzip$...

Fix: Keep only the hash portion and save it to hash.txt:

$pkzip$...

Example Complete Workflow

Extract Hash

zip2john recovered.zip > zip.hash

Edit Hash

Keep only the $pkzip$... portion and save as hash.txt.

Crack With Hashcat

hashcat -m 13600 -a 0 hash.txt rockyou.txt -r rules/best64.rule

Show Result

hashcat -m 13600 hash.txt --show

Quick Commands Cheat Sheet

git clone https://github.com/openwall/john.git
cd john/src
./configure
make -s clean && make -sj4
cd ../run
./john --list=formats
./zip2john file.zip > hash.txt
hashcat -m 13600 hash.txt rockyou.txt