🔐 Cyber Password Attacks

What Are Cyber Password Attacks?

A password attack is any method used by attackers to obtain or guess passwords to gain unauthorized access to a system, network, or account. These attacks exploit weak, reused, or poorly protected passwords.

🧰 Common Types of Password Attacks

1. Brute Force Attack

• How it works: The attacker tries every possible combination of characters until the correct password is found.
• Example: Trying 0001, 0002, ..., up to 9999.
• Defense: Strong passwords, account lockouts, and rate limiting.

2. Dictionary Attack

• How it works: The attacker uses a list of common words and passwords to guess the correct one.
• Example: Using a file like rockyou.txt which contains millions of real-world passwords.
• Defense: Use uncommon passphrases or random character sequences.

3. Credential Stuffing

• How it works: Reusing username-password pairs obtained from previous breaches to log into other services.
• Example: Logging into Netflix using credentials stolen from a LinkedIn breach.
• Defense: Use unique passwords for each service and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA).

4. Phishing

• How it works: Tricking users into giving up their passwords through fake websites or emails.
• Example: A fake email that looks like it’s from Google asking you to “verify your account”.
• Defense: User training, anti-phishing tools, and MFA.

5. Keylogging

• How it works: Malicious software records keystrokes to capture passwords.
• Example: Malware silently logging everything typed, including credentials.
• Defense: Antivirus software, endpoint protection, and secure input devices.

6. Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attack

• How it works: Intercepting communication between user and system to capture credentials.
• Example: Sniffing unencrypted traffic on public Wi-Fi.
• Defense: Use HTTPS, VPNs, and secure protocols.

7. Social Engineering

• How it works: Manipulating people into giving away passwords.
• Example: Pretending to be tech support and asking for a user’s login.
• Defense: Awareness training and strong authentication policies.

🛡️ Best Practices to Prevent Password Attacks

• ✅ Use strong, unique passwords (mix of letters, numbers, symbols).
• ✅ Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
• ✅ Never reuse passwords across sites.
• ✅ Regularly update passwords.
• ✅ Train users to recognize phishing and social engineering.
• ✅ Use password managers to store complex passwords securely.
• ✅ Monitor for breached credentials.