Brute-Force Attack

A type of password attack where multiple password combinations are used to gain access to a password protected device or account. Hackers use extensive off-the-shelf password databases of commonly used passwords and password combinations. Brute force attacks work because users still use weak passwords. For example, many computer users still erroneously believe that leeting the password (for example, replacing the letter “o” with the numeral “0”) makes it more secure. But online password databases contain most commonly used passwords and their leeted versions. For example, password databases will contain common passwords, such as “Liverpoolfc," but also variants, such as “1iverp00lfc”, “L1verpoolFC” and “L!verp00lFc”. It is important that users understand the importance of devising secure passwords to mitigate against such attacks.