Passwords are a security barrier that has been with us since the beginning of the Internet. Over time they have been improving, they are much more complex than at the beginning and offer more possibilities to users. For example we can create a very long key, which has uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and other symbols. But they are still vulnerable. Sometimes we can suffer brute force attacks and in this article we talk about what errors could cause it.
Why can we suffer a brute force attack?
What is a brute force attack? It is basically an attempt by a hacker to break a password and access an account. It is based mainly on a computer program that what it does is try over and over different keys until it finds the correct one.
It is a widely used method for stealing passwords on the Internet . It is something that can affect social networks, records, applications, bank accounts … Of course, today we have a wide range of possibilities to protect ourselves. Hence, we can at all times improve security. However, there are errors that can favor a brute force attack and we will explain which are the most common.
Use a weak password
Undoubtedly the main mistake that can favor a brute force attack is to use a password that is weak . The first thing is that it has only letters or numbers. That would make a password not complex and therefore an attack of this type can break it with relative ease. But it is also a mistake to create a password that contains personal data or easily identifiable words.
Take as an example a password that is “my home” or “43891348”. We are only using letters or numbers. On the other hand, another much stronger password would be “3H / 3 $ -89sYl &”. In that case we are using letters (both uppercase and lowercase), numbers and other symbols, plus it is totally random. A computer program capable of carrying out a brute force attack would take a long time to figure out such a key.
Password length
But it is not enough just to have a password that is apparently difficult to figure out. The length it is also going to be essential. An 8-character password is not the same as a 16-character password, for example. Simply adding one plus symbol, one more letter, can improve security exponentially. Therefore, another mistake that can lead to a brute force attack is using short passwords.
Do not enable two-step authentication
Undoubtedly, two-step authentication is a method that we can keep in mind in order to improve the security of passwords. It can prevent us from falling victim to a brute force attack, as an attacker would need a second step to gain access to the account, even if he managed to steal the password.
Do not use security programs
It is also a mistake to use computer equipment without a good security program . An antivirus can help us prevent the entry of malware that can allow a brute force attack. It is essential that we carry out an analysis frequently to avoid problems.
Having outdated systems
Something similar happens with equipment updates . We must always include all available patches, otherwise we could suffer vulnerabilities that are exploited by hackers to carry out their attacks.
