As such methods becomes more widely adopted, it would not be surprising if nearly all accounts with short user names and short passwords get compromised.īrute force is also used as a supplementary attack after a first password is captured. try password1 at 123456 at qwerty at etc.). A common example is software which automatically logs in to millions of different accounts per day by combining popular user names, passwords, and web sites (i.e. However, different forms of brute force can be used to get around these safeguards. Security conscious online vendors like banks or e-mail services provide some protection against such brute force attempts by denying access if there are too many attempts per hour. A typically weak password can be cracked in less than a day using this method. #4: Brute Forceīrute Force refers to discovering passwords through trial and error, similar to trying every possible combination on a lock. The most well known form of brute force attack is for password cracking software to methodically try millions of passwords on one specific user name on a specific account. Change the password of any account that becomes compromised due to mass theft. Rainbow tables easily crack passwords 8 or fewer characters long and in some cases up to 14 characters.ĭamage Control: In the unlikely case that a rainbow table attack manages to crack one of your 15 character passwords, at least your damages will be limited to one account if you have a unique password for each account. Protection: A simple and effective defense for users is to only use long, randomly generated passwords. For people who use the same password on many sites, the theft of this password on one site can be the starting point for an attack on all of your accounts. While most sites do not store passwords as clear text, many sites store passwords in a form that can be read using widely available rainbow table software. How? Web sites with many users and weak security are prime targets for attackers who want to steal a password file which lists all user names and passwords. Most people don’t realize that user names and passwords routinely get stolen while your computer is off and disconnected from the internet. Immediately change the password of the affected account. Another type of defense is for your browser to use a security service that warns you when you might be about to open a hazardous web site – but this may slow down browsing.ĭamage Control: Your damages are limited to one account if you have a unique password for each account. This will automatically log you in to the correct site, which the password manager stores. Protection: A good defense against this ploy is to only login to a web site by selecting it from your password manager’s drop down menu (even if the tab was one you thought you opened yourself). and then this information is used to “recover” your account (see #7 below). You are tricked into typing private personal information such as birthday, mother’s maiden name, social security number, etc. A variation on this theme is an attack which layers extra fields over a legitimate web site. When you log in, it collects your credentials then passes you on to the real site. So you end up on a fake or spoof web site that looks legitimate. You think you are on the web site you intended but you actually mistyped it by one character, you clicked a bad link to get there, or you were tricked by tabnapping. to import contacts into Facebook), then change your password immediately after its temporary use is complete.ĭamage Control: Your damages are limited to one account if you have a unique password for each account. If you must temporarily share your password (i.e. An additional good defense is to develop “net smarts” analogous to “street smarts” to avoid phishing scams or other forms of social engineering. Protection: The simplest defense is to NEVER share your password for any account with any person, organization, or web site. People frequently hand over their passwords via phishing, other forms of social engineering, or when a person or entity asks for temporary use of a password. Proper use of a password manager can thwart some of these attacks and limit damages from most other types of attacks. This post describes 9 common ways passwords get captured, roughly ordered from most to least common. Many people don’t understand how easy it is for attackers to take advantage of weak passwords, and therefore don’t use a password manager or other means to make their passwords stronger.
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