Brute Force Attack / Brute Force Hacking

Brute Force Hacking is when an attacker tries to guess passwords or usernames by trying different words or combinations of words. Brute force attacks are run systematically checking potential passwords or phrases until the right one is guessed. It’s an attack by trial and error! A commonly used tool is a dictionary. The attacker will try to guess words combined with a special character or number, until they guess correctly. When passwords are weak, the attacker can be successful in seconds. More complex or longer passwords may take months or even years to crack. See credential stuffing.