What are the Types of Password Attacks?

There are a variety of methods that threat actors use to compromise your passwords. In addition to buying stolen credentials from the dark web, attackers can launch their own password-cracking techniques to break into accounts.

Understanding how these attacks work can help you better protect your personal and professional accounts.

Common Types of Password Attacks

• Spraying
• Dictionary
• Brute Force (online and offline) 
• Rainbow Table
• Plaintext/unencrypted
   

Password Spraying

Password spraying involves using a single, commonly used password (like "Password123") and trying it across many usernames. Because this method avoids repeated attempts on the same account, it’s less likely to trigger account lockouts.

Dictionary Attack

A dictionary attack uses a list of commonly used passwords, like those found in real-world data breaches, to try to guess a user’s credentials. These lists are often compiled from previous password leaks.

Check out haveibeenpwned to see if your data has been leaked.

Brute Force (Online and Offline)

A brute-force attack tries every possible password combination until it finds the right one. Online brute-force attacks are usually slower and may be blocked after multiple attempts. Offline brute-force attacks, where the attacker has access to password hashes, are faster and more dangerous.

Rainbow Table

Rainbow tables are large databases of precomputed hashes for common passwords. When an attacker obtains password hashes, they use rainbow tables to look for matching values. This attack is most effective against systems that don’t use unique salts.

Plaintext or Unencrypted Passwords

In some cases, passwords are stored or transmitted without encryption. This makes them easy to discover in packet captures, logs, or exposed source code.

Check out What is Cybersecurity and Why Is It Important?

How to Protect Against Password Attacks

• Use strong, unique passwords for every account
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible
• Avoid reusing passwordS
• Monitor accounts for suspicious login activity
• Ensure sensitive data is encrypted in transit and at rest
  
  

Final Thoughts

Password attacks are one of the oldest tricks in a hacker’s playbook, and they're still incredibly effective when users don’t follow basic security practices. Understanding how these attacks work empowers you to take preventive steps to secure your accounts and data.

Your password might be the only thing standing between a threat actor and your most sensitive information.

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