Password Security

A dictionary attack is a type of cyber attack targeting weak passwords in an attempt to gain unauthorized access to an account or system. "Dictionary" refers to a collection of common words, phrases, or combinations of characters that the attacker uses in an attempt to guess these passwords.

This method heavily relies on the assumption that many users choose common words or combinations of characters in their passwords, making them much more susceptible to such a brute force attack. For example, the password "123456," which was reported to be the most common password of 2024 by Cybernews, is extremely vulnerable to cyber attack attempts because it is a very common string of characters. 

How do I avoid a dictionary attack?

To protect yourself against dictionary attacks, be sure to use proper password hygiene, which describes a password that is long, complex, and unique to a certain account. Also be sure to update your passwords regularly. Similarly, it is recommended to implement multi-factor authentication wherever possible in order to add a second level of security to your accounts.

Some websites also employ mechanisms such as account lockdowns or cooldown timers after a certain number of failed login attempts to mitigate the impact of brute force attacks like dictionary attacks, though they may not stop them outright.