Depends entirely on the encryption used
Plus the method of cracking. I find the quote of "50 character password" dubious at best, the only way to find that out would be if the suspect told them.
A brute force attack on a fairly standard 128 bit encryption would mean going through 2¹²⁸ permutations. Using a standard computer, the maximum amount of time it would take exceeds the estimated lifespan of our planet.
However, there are ways of trimming that time down, by using specialised computers/networks, or by using a dictionary attack.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 6 Oct 2010, 13:58, 1 reply, 15 years ago)

It's incredibly complicated really isn't it
I think that he's probably up to something really dubious, or he's a geek who thinks he'll get respect for "standing up to the man"
( disasterprone "Pyjamas caused the Holocaust", Wed 6 Oct 2010, 14:02, Reply)