Brute Force Attacks Explained: All You Need to Know

Introduction

A brute force attack is a popular cyber threat that uses the trial-and-error method to guess a user’s credentials or encryption keys to gain unauthorized access to their sensitive data. It is a simple yet effective cyberattack method that uses brute force to hack into a system.

Apart from login information and encryption keys, some attackers target a system’s API keys and SSH logins. In this attack, there are no intelligently created strategies in place; instead, it’s simply trying to break down cybersecurity barriers with extreme force.

Different Types of Brute Force Attacks

Now that you have a basic understanding of what a brute force attack is, let’s dive into some of its common types.

1. Simple Brute Force Attacks

In this brute force attack, the attacker attempts to guess the login credentials of a site manually without assistance from any software. They simply use the combinations available to break into the system, making it a relatively ineffective method.

2. Dictionary Attacks

A dictionary attack is when a hacker compiles a list of potential passwords and tests them all to enter a secure system. It is called a dictionary attack because it involves hackers scrolling through dictionaries and generating possible passwords.

3. Hybrid Brute Force Attacks

As the name suggests, a hybrid brute force attack is a combination of simple and dictionary brute force attacks. In this, the hacker takes some common words from the dictionary and uses their variations to create potential passwords and log in successfully.

4. Reverse Brute Force Attacks

In a reverse brute force attack, the hacker starts the hacking process with a known password, usually gained through a network breach. They use this password to find a matching username and gain full access to the victim’s system.

5. Credential Stuffing

The credential stuffing method is when a hacker has access to username and password combinations for a user’s particular system and uses that to breach multiple accounts. This attack relies on the fact that most users reuse the same credentials across systems.

Consequences of Brute Force Attacks

There are some severe consequences of a brute force attack that can affect businesses or individuals. Here we have listed some of these consequences you must know about.

1. Data Breaches

A successfully carried out brute force attack leads to the attacker gaining access to the victim’s sensitive data that they can exploit to carry out malicious activities.

2. Spread of Malware

Once a hacker gains access to the victim’s system, they can use this opportunity to spread malware across other networks through spam emails or other methods.

3. Reputation Damage

As soon as the words get out that a system got hacked through a brute force attack, it severely affects the brand’s reputation as customers and partners lose trust in it.

How to Prevent Brute Force Attacks?

If you want to keep your website safe from a brute force attack, you must employ several prevention techniques. Some of these are mentioned below.

1. Set Stronger Passwords

The best way to keep your system safe from a brute force attack is to use stronger passwords. Make sure you set a tough password with lowercase and uppercase letters, special characters, symbols, etc., that makes it harder to guess.

2. Limit Login Attempts

Since brute force attacks involve attempting a series of password combinations to hack a system, you should limit the number of attempts. This means if someone enters the wrong password several times, they are automatically logged out of the system.

3. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

MFA is a common cybersecurity practice that works for a lot of cyberattacks. In this, a user needs to provide two or more factors of identification to provide an added layer of security. This makes it harder for a hacker to successfully infiltrate a system.