AP® Cybersecurity glossary

Brute force attack

Course: AP® Cybersecurity Shows up in: Unit 4: Securing Devices

An offline attack that uses an automated tool to test every possible password against a captured hash.

Appears in the course and exam description (CED): 4.2.B.6

Why it matters in Unit 4

Length and complexity make it take far longer.

Example

Trying aaaa, aaab, aaac… until a hash matches.

Related terms

• Dictionary attack
• Offline password attack