Brute force Attack

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the correct one is discovered. The goal of a brute-force attack is to gain unauthorized access to a system, application, or encrypted data by guessing the correct password or key through sheer trial and error.

Brute-force attacks can target various types of security mechanisms, including:

1. User Account Logins: In this scenario, attackers attempt to guess a user’s password to gain unauthorized access to an account, system, or application. This can be done manually or with the help of automated tools.

2. Encryption Keys: Brute-force attacks can be used to decrypt encrypted data by trying all possible encryption keys until the original plaintext is obtained.

3. Cryptographic Hashes: Attackers might target hashed passwords or other sensitive data. They try various inputs, hash them, and compare the resulting hash to the target hash to find a matching value.

4. Digital Certificates: In some cases, attackers might attempt to crack the private key of a digital certificate to impersonate a legitimate entity.

5. Wi-Fi Passwords: Brute-force attacks can be used to crack Wi-Fi passwords by trying different combinations until the correct passphrase is found.

6. Encryption Algorithms: Attackers can attempt to break the encryption algorithm itself by testing different keys and methods until they find one that successfully decrypts the data.

Mitigating and defending against brute-force attacks involves implementing strong security measures:

1. Strong Password Policies: Encourage users to create strong, complex passwords that are difficult to guess. This reduces the likelihood of success for brute-force attacks.

2. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Implement MFA to require an additional form of verification beyond just a password. Even if an attacker guesses the password, they still need the second factor to gain access.

3. Account Lockout: Implement account lockout mechanisms that temporarily lock a user’s account after a certain number of failed login attempts, preventing attackers from making unlimited guesses.

4. Rate Limiting: Implement rate limiting on login attempts to slow down the speed at which an attacker can make guesses.

5. Password Encryption: Use strong password hashing algorithms and encryption techniques to protect passwords and other sensitive data. This makes it more difficult for attackers to reverse-engineer the original values.

6. Key Length and Encryption Strength: Use encryption algorithms with long key lengths and strong cryptographic algorithms to make brute-force attacks computationally infeasible.

7. Regular Monitoring and Auditing: Monitor login attempts and activities for signs of suspicious behavior. Auditing can help identify and respond to unauthorized access attempts.

8. Update and Patch: Keep software and systems up-to-date with security patches to prevent attackers from exploiting known vulnerabilities.

Brute-force attacks can be time-consuming and resource-intensive for attackers, especially when strong security measures are in place. By implementing robust security practices, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of successful brute-force attacks.

Just-in-time access permission management

30-Day Free Trial

Get Started

What is an example of a brute force attack?

Is brute force attack a vulnerability?

A

C

California Consumer Privacy Act

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Cloud Access Policies

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Connect Azure AD with Mongo Atlas

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Cloud Workload Protection (CWP)

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Cloud Security

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Cloud PAM

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Credential Stuffing

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Continuous Adaptive Risk Trust Assessment (CARTA)

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Credentials Rotation

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM)

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Cloud Access Management

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Cloud Privileged Access Management

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Credential Theft

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Context-Based Access Management

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Cloud Access Management

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Cloud Governance

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

D

DevOps vs DevSecOps

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Data Access Management

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

DevSecOps

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

F

Federated Access

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Fedramp Compliance

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

H

Honeypot

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

HIPAA compliance

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

I

IGA (Identity Governance Administration)

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Identity Governance

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Identity Provider (IDP)

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS)

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Identity Governance Administration

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

IT Security Policy

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Incident Response

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Insider Threats

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Identity Sprawl

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR)

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

P

Permissions Management

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Phishing

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

PAM vs IAM

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Privileged Access Management as a Service (PAMaaS)

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Password Vaulting

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Privileged Identity Management (PIM)

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Privilege Creep

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Password Spraying

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

PCI Compliance

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

S

Standing Privileges

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Shadow Access

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

System for Cross-domain Identity Management (SCIM)

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML)

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

Spear Phishing

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...

SAML

What is a brute force attack?

A brute-force attack is a type of cyberattack in which an attacker systematically attempts all possible combinations of passwords or encryption keys until the...