Which of the following is a type of password attack?

A brute force attack is a method used by cybercriminals to gain unauthorized access to a system by systematically trying every possible combination of passwords until the correct one is found. This type of attack exploits the security feature of password protection by using computational power to automate the trial-and-error process.

What makes the brute force technique particularly concerning is its reliance on the strength of the password itself; weaker passwords can be cracked relatively quickly, while more complex ones take significantly longer to break. This highlights the importance of implementing strong, unique passwords and possibly additional security measures like account lockouts or two-factor authentication to mitigate the risk of such attacks.

Understanding this attack method is crucial for cybersecurity, as it emphasizes the need for robust password policies and awareness of threat vectors that attackers might exploit.