Home / Six Types of Password Attacks & How to Stop Them Show
Password attacks are one of the most common forms of corporate and personal data breach. A password attack is simply when a hacker trys to steal your password. In 2020, 81% of data breaches were due to compromised credentials. Because passwords can only contain so many letters and numbers, passwords are becoming less safe. Hackers know that many passwords are poorly designed, so password attacks will remain a method of attack as long as passwords are being used. Protect yourself from password attacks with the information below. 1. PhishingPhishing is when a hacker posing as a trustworthy party sends you a fraudulent email, hoping you will reveal your personal information voluntarily. Sometimes they lead you to fake "reset your password" screens; other times, the links install malicious code on your device. We highlight several examples on the OneLogin blog. Here are a few examples of phishing:
To avoid phishing attacks, follow these steps:
2. Man-in-the-Middle AttackMan-in-the middle (MitM) attacks are when a hacker or compromised system sits in between two uncompromised people or systems and deciphers the information they're passing to each other, including passwords. If Alice and Bob are passing notes in class, but Jeremy has to relay those notes, Jeremy has the opportunity to be the man in the middle. Similarly, in 2017, Equifax removed its apps from the App Store and Google Play store because they were passing sensitive data over insecure channels where hackers could have stolen customer information. To help prevent man-in-the-middle attacks:
3. Brute Force AttackIf a password is equivalent to using a key to open a door, a brute force attack is using a battering ram. A hacker can try 2.18 trillion password/username combinations in 22 seconds, and if your password is simple, your account could be in the crosshairs. To help prevent brute force attacks:
4. Dictionary AttackA type of brute force attack, dictionary attacks rely on our habit of picking "basic" words as our password, the most common of which hackers have collated into "cracking dictionaries." More sophisticated dictionary attacks incorporate words that are personally important to you, like a birthplace, child's name, or pet's name. To help prevent a dictionary attack:
5. Credential StuffingIf you've suffered a hack in the past, you know that your old passwords were likely leaked onto a disreputable website. Credential stuffing takes advantage of accounts that never had their passwords changed after an account break-in. Hackers will try various combinations of former usernames and passwords, hoping the victim never changed them. To help prevent credential stuffing:
6. KeyloggersKeyloggers are a type of malicious software designed to track every keystroke and report it back to a hacker. Typically, a user will download the software believing it to be legitimate, only for it to install a keylogger without notice. To protect yourself from keyloggers:
Preventing Password AttacksThe best way to fix a password attack is to avoid one in the first place. Ask your IT professional about proactively investing in a common security policy that includes:
What type of attack tries to guess passwords by every combination of characters?To conduct a brute-force attack, an attacker may use a tool to attempt every combination of letters and numbers, expecting to eventually guess the password. If the attacker knows that an organization requires special characters in their password, the tool could be instructed to include letters, numbers, and symbols.
What are the 3 main types of password attacks?Six Types of Password Attacks & How to Stop Them. Phishing. Phishing is when a hacker posing as a trustworthy party sends you a fraudulent email, hoping you will reveal your personal information voluntarily. ... . Man-in-the-Middle Attack. ... . Brute Force Attack. ... . Dictionary Attack. ... . Credential Stuffing. ... . Keyloggers.. What type of attack is a password attack?A password attack refers to any of the various methods used to maliciously authenticate into password-protected accounts. These attacks are typically facilitated through the use of software that expedites cracking or guessing passwords.
What is used to prevent someone from guessing a password multiple times?Explanation: The account lockout settings are a critical defense against guessing a password, because an account lockout will either slow or even stop a brute-force attack in its tracks after the configured number of incorrect logon attempts is reached.
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