Brute force attacks can be used against any type of authentication system, such as websites, applications, databases, and even networks. When an attacker launches a brute force attack, they generally start by running automated scripts to generate random username and password combinations. These combinations can range from simple words or phrases to complex strings of characters.

For example, if an attacker targets an account with a four-letter password composed only of lowercase letters, they would use a program to test all possible combinations starting from “aaaa” until “zzz”. The possibilities become significantly fewer when dealing with more complex passwords that include numbers and symbols; however, brute force attacks drastically reduce the time needed for a hacker to attempt numerous options to gain access, making them extremely effective at what they do regardless of encryption strength.

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