What Is a Brute Force Attack? 5 Ways to Prevent Brute Force Attacks That Users Should Know

In practice, Brute Force Attacks often target popular open-source software. So what specifically is a Brute Force Attack? How can this attack method be prevented? All of this will be shared and thoroughly analyzed by Vcloudia for readers in the article below. Let us explore this Brute Force Attack method together.

What Is a Brute Force Attack?

Fundamentally, a Brute Force Attack is a form of cyberattack in which hackers use software to "mix" different characters into valid passwords. At this point, they send login requests to the wp-login.php file and try passwords. This process continues continuously until the hacker can successfully log in. Cracking this password can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few days, or even months, depending on the complexity of the password. Overall, the main objective of a Brute Force Attack is to uncover the password and account of the highest administrator.

6 Common Types of Brute Force Attacks Today

- Simple Brute Force Attack: This type uses a systematic approach to "guess" usernames or passwords without relying on external logic.

- Hybrid Brute Force Attack: Relying on external logic, it can identify the password combinations most likely to succeed. Then, it continues with a Simple Brute Force Attack approach to test as many combinations as possible.

- Dictionary Attack: This type uses a dictionary of feasible strings or phrases to guess the user's username and password.

- Rainbow Table Attack: This type is a precomputed table used to match against the results of hash functions. It can be used to guess a function of a specified length containing a specific set of characters.

- Reverse Brute Force Attack: This attack type uses a common password or a set of passwords to try against many feasible usernames. It targets a network of users whose data hackers have previously stolen.

- Credential Stuffing: This is an attack type that uses previously known password and username pairs and tries them across many different websites. This is because currently, quite a few users have the habit of using the same password and username pair across multiple different website systems.

5 Ways to Prevent Brute Force Attacks

Set Highly Secure Passwords

Typically, users tend to set usernames based on their own names, making this naming convention quite easy to guess. Therefore, users should add numbers and avoid naming accounts based on their real names to enhance security. Along with that, users also need to set highly complex passwords containing numeric characters, letters, and special characters, avoiding personal information such as their date of birth or address.

Passwords Should Be Changed Regularly

This is a way to escape information leaks when hit by a Brute Force Attack. Because if you were unfortunately a victim in a previous attack, hackers can use the stolen data to continue logging into the user's account.

Limit Failed Login Attempts

Users need to establish a limit on failed login attempts to curb attacks from Brute Force Attacks. If you are an administrator, frequently changing the default login URL path is recommended. This prevents hackers from taking advantage of finding the login page to probe system accounts.

Two-Factor Authentication

The next way to prevent Brute Force Attacks is two-factor authentication. Administrators can require two-step authentication and configure it in the system to detect intrusions as well as external attacks. Therefore, this requires users to track login efforts with a second factor, such as a physical USB key or biometric fingerprint scan.

Use Security Plugins

- Better WP Security: This plugin features the ability to hide login paths and limit failed login attempts to curb Brute Force Attacks.

- Login Security Solution: This is a plugin that requires users to use highly complex passwords, forces periodic password changes, and limits login attempts.

- BruteProtect: A plugin that blocks bad IPs or Brute Force Attack-style queries present in their proprietary data.

- Limit Login Attempts: A plugin designed to limit failed login attempts, helping prevent Brute Force Attacks extremely effectively.

Conclusion

Above are 5 extremely effective ways to prevent Brute Force Attacks that Vcloudia wants to share with readers. Ensure that you can successfully implement the measures above to protect your website from the risks of Brute Force Attacks. Hopefully, this article can bring readers plenty of useful information about Brute Force Attacks.

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