C++ Console Question

I need to read characters from the console in my C++ program.

Is there any way to do this without utilizing the Win32 API? Google fails me.

>>18
Probably because I'm a terrible n00b and can't think of a better way to do this...

I'm trying to write a rar password cracker, and the only way I can think to do it is by using C's system function. The problem is, I need a way to figure out if the password was incorrect or not and to do that I'm trying to read what it's printed to stdout. Thus, reading in something already displayed on the console.

There's probably a terribly easy way to do this already, and I'm too much of a n00b to figure it out/realize it.