THREAT‑WATCH
Glossary
Brute Force Attack
An attack that systematically tries every possible password combination until it finds the correct one.
Modern brute force attacks use automated tools that can attempt thousands of password combinations per second, making short or simple passwords crackable in minutes to hours. Defenses include account lockout after failed attempts, rate limiting, longer/more complex password requirements, and MFA, which renders a correctly guessed password insufficient on its own.