Password Spraying vs Dictionary Attack

What is Password Spraying?

Weak passwords are common, as people often create predictable passwords. Moreover, individuals frequently reuse the same password across multiple accounts. This makes it easier for hackers to use a technique called “password spraying”. In this attack, hackers try several commonly stolen passwords on multiple Internet accounts. This is different from a brute force attack, which tests multiple passwords against a single account. Password sprinkling is effective because it takes very few passwords to work against many accounts....

What is Dictionary Attack?

Dictionary attacks use lists of common words and phrase­s to guess passwords. They’re a brute­-force password cracking technique. The­ attacker tries many possibilities from a “dictionary” list. Like­ “password@123”, “let me in”, and “123456”. Suppose an attacke­r wants user email access. The­y’ll compile a dictionary of popular passwords, then try logging in....

Password Spraying vs Dictionary Attack

Keywords Password Spraying Dictionary Attack Method Uses a limited set of common passwords across multiple user accounts, exploiting the likelihood of users having weak or reused passwords. Tries all combinations from a predefined list or dictionary. Resources Less resource-intensive (fewer attempts per account) More resource-intensive (larger dictionary, complex passwords) Target Many usernames with common passwords Single username (or few usernames) with many passwords Password List Common passwords and variations (limited set) Words from a dictionary and variations (potentially large) Success Rate It may be successful if any of the targeted accounts have weak or commonly used passwords. Success largely depends on the quality and comprehensiveness of the dictionary used, it can be effective against accounts with strong passwords if the dictionary contains the correct passphrase. Detection It can be harder to detect as it involves fewer failed login attempts per account, potentially bypassing automated security measures. Easier due to the high volume of attempts from a single source. More likely to trigger account lockouts or alarms due to the high volume of login attempts with different passwords. Lockout Risk Higher due to repeated attempts on one username Lower due to spread-out attempts across accounts Prevention Strong password policies, multi-factor authentication, login monitoring Similar measures as password spraying, with additional brute-force prevention (account lockouts, rate limiting, CAPTCHAs) Risk Distributed risk across multiple accounts (wider potential impact) Concentrated risk on targeted account (lower widespread compromise risk)...

Methods to Mitigate Against Password Spraying and Dictionary Attack

Enhanced Password Security: Make robust and distinct passwords for each online account combining uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters. Consider using a password manager to generate and protect complex passwords....

Conclusion

Both password spraying and dictionary attacks are techniques for hacking into accounts. Password spraying tries many accounts with a few common passwords. On the other hand, dictionary attacks use a list of words to try every possible password. To enhance cybersecurity, implementing strong password policies and using multi-factor authentication can mostly help to defend against attacks....

Dictionary Attack and Password Spraying – FAQs

Why are dictionary attacks successful in cracking passwords?...