Password Spraying Attacks: Easy Steps to Strengthen Your Security

Cybersecurity threats are on the rise, and the most dangerous and the easiest to perform are password spraying attacks. Password spraying attacks in Cybersecurity are truly devastating, especially for businesses and organizations that use password-protected accounts. Once you know how password spraying attacks work, and how you can improve your security, you can minimize your risk.

So what exactly is password spraying? How does it differ from brute force attacks? Why should you be concerned? And what can you do about it? This article will explain.

What is a Password Spraying Attack?

A password spraying attack is a form of brute force attack where, instead of trying multiple passwords on an account, attackers will try a single common password against thousands of user accounts an masse. Attackers hoping to use this method typically don’t rush but rather spread out their attempts over days, weeks or longer in the hopes of evading detection as they guess passwords.

For example, where site security rules may automatically block an attacker who attempts to log in to a single account more than a few times with the same incorrect password (an account lockout mechanism), spreading around the effort ensures that one-after-another guesses of passwords such as ‘password123’ can be tried across many accounts before site security is alerted and representation heads for the hills. This helps them to remain invisible from the login-attempt monitoring systems that software systems employ.

Also Read: What Are the Best Tools for Monitoring Cloud Security?

How Password Spraying Differs from Brute Force Attacks

Even though both password spraying and brute-force attacks are used to break passwords, these attacks are not the same: 

• Brute force attacks: the attacker picks one account and submits a series of guessed passwords until the correct one emerges. 
•  Password spraying: Mass tries a few common passwords across multiple accounts to avoid locking out many at once.

This allows password spraying to work as well as it does because it sidesteps security measures that spot rapid attempts on a single account.

Why Are Password Spraying Attacks Dangerous?

Password spraying attacks are dangerous for several reasons:

1. Broad impact: it’s not worthwhile to attack just one account; attackers prefer millions of accounts spread out over many platforms.
2. Easy to cover up: Because there’s typically a finite set of guesses per account (eg, nine login attempts allowed per account by banking systems), it’s harder to detect an attack.
3. Little work for bad guys: Password spraying requires minimal technical chops, can be automised, and covers a wide reach to reveal ‘low-hanging fruit’ cybercriminals like.

In the case of business too, a successful password spraying attack means data breaches, financial loss, and a damaged corporate reputation.

Simple Steps to Spot Password Spraying Attacks Early

Being able to identify a password spraying attack as soon as possible is one of the ways in which it can be stopped before evolving into an immense security breach. Simple steps on identifying a password spraying attack before it causes extensive damage include:

1. Monitor Failed Login Attempts:

The most obvious indicator of a password spraying attack is an unusually high number of failed logins across all user accounts. You should regularly monitor login activity and mark anything that looks suspicious. If you see failed logins for many different users around the same time, this could be the sign of a password spraying attack in progress.

2. Check for Multiple Login Attempts from Different Locations:

A clue for password spraying may come from the login attempts from different locations or IP addresses in circumvent the detection, the attackers tend to utilise different IP addresses. Pattern judgment of login activities, such as the presence of a large number of login attempts from unrecognisable or overseas IP addresses, can help you to detect password spraying in time.

3. Set Alerts for Unusual Account Behavior:

If the login attempts are being made from a different location, a simple alert on unusual login behaviour will make it easy to catch a password spray attack before you become victims. Set alerts for:

• Multiple failed login attempts.
• Logins from unfamiliar IP addresses.
• Access attempts outside regular working hours.

 This enables you to investigate and block before the attacker gets in.

4. Use Intrusion Detection Systems

You can also invest in intrusion detection systems (IDS) or security information and event management (SIEM) solutions, which will look out for unusual patterns of activity, including password spraying attempts. These systems automatically flag activity so that you don’t have to manually monitor as many things, and you’ll know about a potential breach as soon as it begins.

Easy Steps to Strengthen Your Security

So here are some easy steps to foil a password spraying attack – and boost your security generally. 

1. Use Strong Passwords and Rotate Regularly

The best way to combat password spraying is to use strong and unique passwords. Here are some tips on making your passwords stronger:

• Use a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters.
• Avoid dictionary words or easily guessable phrases.
• Change passwords regularly and avoid reusing old ones.

This type of attack, called the ‘password spray’, often succeeds due to simple passwords, so using distinct, complex passwords for every account greatly lowers your risk.

2. Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

For example, one of the most powerful attacks against a password-only system, such as a ‘password spraying’ attack, can be quickly nipped in the bud through multi-factor authentication (MFA). This is where a user must pass a second step (a phone text message, or other information from an authenticator app) after they appear to have entered the password correctly. An attacker who has found one possible combination must then also compromise the second. This becomes so hard to achieve, that letting through all the millions or even billions of other pass-from-scratch attempts becomes compute-systems-across-the-country bypassable.

3. Set Up Account Lockout Policies

Account lockout policies automatically lock an account after a certain number of failed login attempts. This policy prevents attackers from making unlimited guesses and greatly reduces the effectiveness of password spraying attacks.

For example, if you set the policy to lock an account after five failed attempts, attackers will only get a few tries before being locked out, alerting the system and preventing further attempts.

4. Monitor for Unusual Login Attempts

Monitoring such login attempts – particularly from devices or locations unfamiliar to the account holder – can help to flag possible attacks. Many organizations employ security software that can automatically block login attempts from unknown locations in order to further protect their accounts.

Also Read: The Future Of Online Payments: A Look At SundayApp.com

Educate Employees on Security Awareness

Often, employees will be the first line of defense against password spraying attacks. Regularly training your staff on security best practices – including effective passwords, phishing awareness and MFA use – can go a long way toward keeping your business safe. 

Further, employers should advise staff about the dangers of password reuse across sites. Password managers can help employees to create and remember unique passwords for every site.

The Role of Technology in Defending Against Password Spraying

As well as using strong password conventions and training your staff, technology can also help you protect against password spraying.

1. Use Security Software to Detect and Block Attacks

Invest in security software that focuses on password spraying threats. These solutions often track login attempts, block entire IP addresses and track geolocation-based attacks. More advanced tools can block password-spraying attacks from known bad networks, or prevent a user from repeatedly failing to log in from multiple accounts.

2. Employ Password Management Tools

Password management tools enable you to create unique, strong passwords for every account, and store them safely. Besides being able to avoid reusing passwords or using weak ones, which are liable to password spraying attacks, you easily generate new passwords for all your online accounts.

Conclusion

Password spraying attacks are becoming more common and can affect individuals and businesses, but there are steps you can take to protect your accounts from compromise – as long as the attacks are detected early.