What term describes trying to crack a user password by working through all possible possibilities?

• A. Brute force
• B. Dictionary attack
• C. Phishing
• D. Spoofing

Answer: (A)

Brute force is an exhaustive attempt to guess a password by trying every possible combination until one works. It doesn’t rely on any guessed pattern or user behavior; it simply works through all possibilities from the smallest to the largest until it finds the correct one. The speed of this approach depends on password length and the size of the allowed character set—more length and a richer set of characters mean exponentially more possibilities, which makes the attack harder to complete but still a valid method if defenses aren’t strong. In contrast, a dictionary attack uses a predefined list of likely passwords, phishing relies on tricking the user into revealing credentials, and spoofing impersonates someone or something to deceive the user. Brute force is the straightforward, all-encompassing guessing method.