GPEN Question #352: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

The correct answer is C. Brute force. Enforcing an account lockout after a fixed number of failed login attempts is a direct countermeasure against brute force attacks, which rely on exhaustively trying many password combinations.

Question

You work as a Network Administrator in the SecureTech Inc. The SecureTech Inc. is using Linuxbased server. Recently, you have updated the password policy of the company in which the server will disable passwords after four trials. What type of attack do you want to stop by enabling this policy?

Options

ACookie poisoning
BXSS
CBrute force
DReplay

Explanation

Enforcing an account lockout after a fixed number of failed login attempts is a direct countermeasure against brute force attacks, which rely on exhaustively trying many password combinations.

Common mistakes.

A. Cookie poisoning involves manipulating web application cookies to alter session data or escalate privileges, and is not related to repeated failed login attempts.
B. Cross-site scripting (XSS) injects malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users and has no connection to password-guessing or login attempt limits.
D. A replay attack captures and retransmits valid authentication tokens or packets to gain unauthorized access, and does not involve guessing passwords through repeated login trials.

Concept tested. Account lockout policy as brute force attack mitigation

Reference. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/security-policy-settings/account-lockout-policy

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