Password Attacks Explained: Brute Force, Spraying, and Credential Stuffing

Understanding Password Attack Types

Attackers use several techniques to compromise passwords. Understanding each method helps you implement the right defenses. Brute force tries every possible password combination. Dictionary attacks try common words and known passwords. Password spraying tries a few common passwords against many accounts to avoid lockout. Credential stuffing uses passwords stolen from one breach to access other services where users reused the same credentials.

Brute Force and Dictionary Attacks

Modern GPUs can test billions of password hashes per second. An eight-character password with uppercase, lowercase, digits, and symbols can be cracked in under an hour. Increasing password length is far more effective than increasing complexity - a 16-character passphrase with only lowercase letters is stronger than an eight-character password with all character types. Implement account lockout after five to ten failed attempts to stop online brute force attacks.

Password Spraying

Spraying is particularly insidious because it avoids triggering account lockouts. The attacker tries one common password (like "Winter2026!" or "CompanyName1") against every account in the organization, then waits and tries the next password. Because each account sees only one failed attempt, lockout thresholds are never reached. Detect spraying by monitoring for multiple failed logins across different accounts from the same source.

Credential Stuffing Defense

Since credential stuffing relies on password reuse, the primary defense is ensuring every account has a unique password. Use a password manager organization-wide. Implement multi-factor authentication so that even valid credentials are insufficient alone. Monitor for login attempts from known botnet IP addresses. True Protection detects credential stuffing patterns and can enforce MFA challenges when suspicious login activity is detected.