Cisco Cyber Security Practice Exam

What type of attack attempts every possible combination of characters up to a given length?

1. Social engineering

2. Brute-force

3. Credential stuffing

4. DoS attack

The correct answer is: Brute-force

A brute-force attack is a method used to gain unauthorized access to a system by systematically checking all possible combinations of characters until the correct one is found. This type of attack relies on computational power and time, as it exhaustively attempts every possible combination up to a specified length. For instance, if the target is a password, the attacker starts with the shortest possible combinations and gradually increases the length, leveraging any available computing power to accelerate the process. This technique is particularly effective against weak passwords where the total number of combinations is relatively low. In contrast, social engineering involves manipulating individuals to divulge confidential information, which does not focus on combinations of characters. Credential stuffing occurs when attackers use lists of stolen usernames and passwords from one breach to attempt to access accounts on various platforms. A denial-of-service (DoS) attack aims to overwhelm a system and make it unavailable to its intended users, rather than focusing on password cracking. Thus, the definition and mechanism of a brute-force attack clearly align with the description provided, making it the correct choice.