Which of the following is a common password cracking technique?

The correct answer is B. Brute force attack. Brute force attack (B) is a password cracking technique where an attacker systematically tries every possible combination of characters until the correct password is found - it directly targets the password itself, making it the only true "cracking" method listed. Phishing (A)…

Attacks and Countermeasures

Question

Options

APhishing
BBrute force attack
CPacket sniffing
DFirewall bypassing

How the community answered

(53 responses)

A
2% (1)
B
91% (48)
C
2% (1)
D
6% (3)

Explanation

Brute force attack (B) is a password cracking technique where an attacker systematically tries every possible combination of characters until the correct password is found - it directly targets the password itself, making it the only true "cracking" method listed.

Phishing (A) tricks users into voluntarily revealing credentials through deceptive emails or fake websites - it exploits human psychology, not cryptographic or computational weaknesses. Packet sniffing (C) captures network traffic to intercept data in transit; it can expose passwords sent in plaintext, but it's a capture technique, not a cracking one. Firewall bypassing (D) is a network intrusion technique focused on circumventing perimeter defenses, completely unrelated to password recovery.

Memory tip: Think of "brute force" as the only option where an attacker is actively breaking the password - the word "crack" implies force, and brute force is literally forcing your way through every possibility.

Topics

#password cracking#brute force attack#authentication attacks#attack methods

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