![\"Password](\"https:\/\/fastestpass.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Password-Spraying-Attack_-How-to-Prevent-It-900.webp\")
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Just like how you keep trying every key out of the bunch for a new door, a password spraying attack works the same. The hacker guesses one commonly used password, such as 12345678, and keeps trying it on different accounts until a match is found.<\/p>\n
In 2022, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued an alert highlighting password spraying as a frequently used technique by state-backed cyber attackers. However, a password spray attack can often be hard to detect.<\/p>\n
This guide will walk you through password spraying attack meaning, the common signs of it and the prevention steps.<\/p>\n
Note:<\/strong> We recommend only using a strong password to avoid falling victim to a password spraying attack. However, creating and remembering strong passwords can often be a hassle. Use FastestPass, a reliable password management tool that creates, saves, and fills passwords for you.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n Get FastestPass <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n\nWhat Is a Password Spraying Attack?<\/h2>\n
Password spraying is a type of brute force attack that targets multiple accounts by guessing commonly used passwords<\/a>. At the same time, it differs from traditional brute force attacks. They often focus on a single account and repeatedly attempt different passwords until the correct one is found.<\/p>\n
To make it simpler, here\u2019s how password spraying works. You\u2019ve many toy locks, and instead of guessing many codes on one lock, you try the same easy code on all of them. If one opens, you\u2019re in! That\u2019s how password spraying works. The black hats keep trying common passwords on many accounts to find one that works without getting caught.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, a password spray often targets privileged accounts, such as the head of a company or someone with important data saved on his device. However, there are a few targeted management services and ports that this type of attack targets, such as:<\/p>\n
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- Oracle Database \u2013 Port 1521\/TCP<\/li>\n
- Secure Shell (SSH) \u2013 Port 22\/TCP<\/li>\n
- Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) \u2013 Port 389\/TCP<\/li>\n
- File Transfer Protocol (FTP) \u2013 Port 21\/TCP<\/li>\n
- Telnet \u2013 Port 23\/TCP<\/li>\n
- MySQL Database \u2013 Port 3306\/TCP<\/li>\n
- HTTP and HTTPS Management Services \u2013 Ports 80\/TCP and 443\/TCP<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
How Do You Detect a Password Spraying Attack?<\/h2>\n