Dictionary · Hacking Techniques and Methodologies
Password Attack
Identity attacks · Intermediate
An attempt to learn or bypass a password, including guessing, reusing a leaked password, or testing a hash the attacker already obtained. Lockouts, slow hashes, and a second factor reduce the chance of success.
The defense is to make guessing slow or useless: long passwords, multi-factor login, and alerts when many failures appear. This definition does not include a method.
Example: A log shows hundreds of failed logins for one account. The control that stops the success is a lockout plus a second factor.
Common misconception
- Not every password incident is a clever break. Reused passwords from old leaks are a common cause.