✅ Password Attacks, Sniffing, Spoofing
Why These Attacks Work
• Weak passwords
• Unencrypted traffic
• Poor network controls
Password Attacks
• Brute Force: Tries all combinations, targets short passwords (e.g., admin123)
• Dictionary Attack: Uses common word lists, faster than brute force
• Credential Stuffing: Uses leaked credentials, high success rate
• Password Spraying: One password across many users, bypasses lockouts
How to Defend
• Strong password policy
• Account lockout
• Multi-factor authentication
Sniffing
• Attacker captures packets, reads unencrypted data
• Occurs on public WiFi, open networks
• Tools: Wireshark, tcpdump
• Impact: Session hijacking, credential theft
• Defense: HTTPS everywhere, VPN on public networks
Spoofing
• ARP Spoofing: Fake MAC to IP mapping, intercepts traffic
• DNS Spoofing: Redirects to fake sites
• IP Spoofing: Hides attacker identity
• Defense: ARP inspection, DNSSEC, network monitoring
Real Incident Example
• Public WiFi attacks at airports, captured email logins
Beginner Mistakes
• Testing on real networks
• Ignoring encryption
• Weak lab setups
What You Should Do Next
• Crack weak hashes in lab
• Sniff traffic with test VMs
• Implement defenses
