Attack Surface
An attack surface in permissions management refers to the sum total of all potential vulnerabilities that an unauthorized entity could exploit to gain access to a system or data. ...
What is credential stuffing?
Credential stuffing is a cyberattack method in which an attacker uses previously stolen usernames and passwords to gain unauthorized access to user accounts on various online platforms or websites. It relies on the fact that many people reuse the same usernames and passwords across multiple online services.
Here’s how credential stuffing works:
- Data Breaches. Cybercriminals obtain lists of username and password pairs from data breaches on various websites and services. These breaches could result from a variety of reasons, such as poor security practices, hacking, or insider threats.
- Automated Login Attempts. Attackers use automated software or scripts to systematically try these stolen credentials on different websites and services, checking if the same username and password combination is valid elsewhere.
- Account Takeover. If the stolen credentials match those of a user on a targeted platform, the attacker gains unauthorized access to the victim’s account. They can potentially use this access to engage in malicious activities, such as data theft, fraud, or further spreading of the attack.
Credential stuffing attacks are successful because many people reuse their usernames and passwords across multiple websites and services. When a breach occurs on one platform, the stolen credentials can be used to compromise accounts on other websites where the user has used the same login information. To defend against credential-stuffing attacks, users should practice good password hygiene, using unique and strong passwords for each online account and enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) when available. Website and service providers can also implement security measures to detect and prevent credential stuffing attacks, such as rate limiting, CAPTCHA challenges, and monitoring for unusual login patterns.
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