Preventing Common Password Attacks

Understanding attack vectors helps implement appropriate defenses. Brute force attacks attempt every possible password combination, making computational cost crucial for defense. Rate limiting and account lockouts provide additional protection, though implementation must avoid creating denial-of-service vulnerabilities. Progressive delays between failed attempts balance security with usability.

Dictionary attacks use common passwords and variations, highlighting the importance of password strength validation. Credential stuffing exploits password reuse across services, making breach detection and forced password resets crucial. Implementing detection for these attack patterns helps identify and block malicious activity before significant damage occurs.

Side-channel attacks exploit implementation details like timing differences in password verification. Constant-time comparison functions prevent timing attacks that could reveal password length or partial matches. Similar care must be taken with error messages—returning identical responses for invalid usernames and incorrect passwords prevents username enumeration.