Which technique involves trying all possible combinations of characters until the correct password is found?

Question

Options

• APhishing
• BBrute force attack
• CDictionary attack
• DSocial engineering

• A
  2% (1)
• B
  91% (50)
• C
  2% (1)
• D
  5% (3)

Explanation

Brute force attack is correct because it is defined precisely as the exhaustive method of systematically trying every possible character combination until the right password is found - no shortcuts, just computational persistence.

Why the others are wrong:

• Phishing (A) tricks users into voluntarily revealing credentials through deceptive emails or fake websites - no password cracking involved.
• Dictionary attack (C) is close but only tries words from a predefined wordlist, not all possible combinations - making it faster but less exhaustive than brute force.
• Social engineering (D) manipulates people psychologically to divulge information; it exploits human behavior, not computational trial-and-error.

Memory tip: Think of "brute force" like a caveman smashing every key on a lock - no strategy, just raw, exhaustive strength. If you see "all possible combinations" or "every possibility" in a question, that phrase is the fingerprint of brute force.

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