What is "brute force" in the context of password attacks?

In the context of password attacks, "brute force" refers to the method of attempting to crack passwords by systematically trying every possible combination until the correct one is found. This technique relies on the fundamental principle of exhaustiveness; the attacker will generate and test every possible variation of characters or phrases that could form a valid password.

Brute force attacks are particularly effective against weak or commonly used passwords, as these combinations can be guessed relatively quickly. As the computational power of systems increases, the feasibility of executing brute force attacks on a larger scale has also grown, making it crucial for users to choose complex and unique passwords to defend against this type of attack.

The other options address different security contexts. Phishing involves tricking users into providing their passwords rather than cracking them. Monitoring user behavior relates to security analytics and intrusion detection, while identity theft concerns the unauthorized use of someone's personal information, which is separate from the mechanism of brute force password cracking.