A brute-force attack entails a persistent and repeated guessing method used to decipher an encryption key, PIN, or password to access a protected platform, device, or account. Brute-force attacks are mostly specialised automated tools capable of attempting thousands of various password combinations per second.
Examples of Brute-force attack
- Credential recycling attacks: This involved hackers utilising previously leaked credentials to access the user’s related accounts.
- Dictionary attacks: These involve hackers making use of popular symbols or phrase combinations to guess the user’s login details.
Stopping a brute-force attack
- Using a unique password is important since reverse brute-force attacks target accounts with easy-to-guess passwords.
- Create a different password for your different accounts. Doing this will increase the difficulty of accessing your accounts.
- Install a secure password manager like WordPress to create unique passwords for every single one of your accounts.
- Use multi-factor authentication (MFA). This will prevent hackers from accessing your account even if they guess your password correctly.
