Password spraying and credential stuffing have a lot in common, but the main difference is in the way the attack is executed. With credential stuffing, the cybercriminal already has a set of verified login credentials, whereas, with password spraying, the cybercriminal has to guess the login credentials by matching a list of usernames with a commonly used password.
Continue reading to learn more about password spraying and credential stuffing, the difference between them and how to protect yourself from these attacks.
What Is Password Spraying?
Password spraying is a type of brute force attack in which cybercriminals try to pair commonly used passwords with a list of verified usernames until they get a match. With password spraying, cybercriminals can avoid login attempt limits and account lockouts by using the same password across different accounts. They exploit users who practice poor password habits such as using weak and predictable passwords to protect their online accounts.
Password spraying starts with a cybercriminal acquiring a list of usernames from online directories, the dark web or other open sources. Cybercriminals will then gather a list of commonly used passwords and run an automated program to pick a password to pair with the list of usernames until they get as many matches as possible. Once the cybercriminal has gone through the list of usernames with the first password, they will repeat the process with the same list of usernames but with a different password.
What Is Credential Stuffing?
Credential stuffing is another type of brute force attack in which a cybercriminal steals or purchases a set of verified login credentials and uses it to gain access to multiple accounts. Cybercriminals rely on the reuse of the same password for multiple accounts. Keeper’s 2022 US Password Practice Report has shown the effectiveness of credential stuffing as 56% of users reuse their passwords.
Cybercriminals often get the set of login credentials from a data breach, previous cyber attack or on the dark web. Once the cybercriminal has the set of verified login credentials, they will use an automated tool to input the login credentials across multiple platforms to gain access to those accounts. Sometimes, cybercriminals will use slight variations of the login credentials to gain access to the user’s other accounts.
The Difference Between Password Spraying and Credential Stuffing
Password spraying and credential stuffing are both types of brute force attacks that can leave damaging effects on users. If password spraying and credential stuffing attacks are successful, they can lead to account takeovers, in which cybercriminals have full control over a user’s account to use for their own gain. Cybercriminals would have access to a victim’s Personally Identifiable Information (PII) which can be used to commit identity theft and other types of fraud.
However, password spraying and credential stuffing differ in terms of their methods of gaining unauthorized access. With credential stuffing, the cybercriminal already has a verified set of login credentials that can be used to gain access to multiple accounts for one user. Password spraying does not have a set of login credentials and has to guess them by matching up commonly used passwords with a list of usernames. Password spraying attacks multiple users instead of targeting just one.
How To Prevent Password Spraying and Credential Stuffing
Password spraying and credential stuffing can easily be prevented by practicing good password hygiene. Password hygiene refers to the best practices and habits to maintain password security. Here are some of the ways you can prevent password spraying and credential stuffing.
Use strong and unique passwords
Password spraying exploits users who use weak and predictable passwords to protect their online accounts. To prevent password spraying from guessing your passwords, you should use strong passwords to protect your online accounts. A strong password is a random combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters that is at least 16 characters long. It does not contain any personal information, sequential numbers or letters, or commonly used dictionary words.
Credential stuffing relies on users who reuse their passwords across multiple accounts. To prevent cybercriminals from using credential stuffing and gaining access to your accounts, you should use a unique password for each of your accounts and avoid reusing any passwords. Using a strong and unique password for each of your online accounts will prevent both credential stuffing and password spraying, making it difficult for cybercriminals to crack your passwords.
Enable MFA
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is a security protocol that requires providing additional forms of authentication. To gain access to an account, users must provide their login credentials and at least one additional form of verification such as a Time-Based-One-Time Password (TOTP). MFA adds an extra layer of security and ensures that only authorized users have access to your account. Even if your login credentials were compromised, cybercriminals could not access your account because your accounts are protected by MFA and they don’t have the other authentication factor(s).
Store passwords in a password manager
A password manager is a tool that securely stores and manages your passwords in a digital encrypted vault. With a password manager, you can keep track of all of your passwords and access them anytime. Your digital vault is protected by multiple layers of encryption and can only be accessed with a strong master password. A password manager also ensures each of your passwords is secured by identifying any weak or reused passwords and prompting you to strengthen them using the built-in password generator.
Cybercriminals can find your login credentials on the dark web and use them for password spraying or credential stuffing attacks. To prevent password spraying and credential stuffing, you should invest in a dark web monitoring tool.
Dark web monitoring is a tool that scans the dark web and monitors for specific personal information such as your login credentials. When a dark web monitoring tool finds any compromised information, it will alert you and prompt you to take action such as changing your passwords before cybercriminals can use it to gain unauthorized access.
Turn on notifications for login attempts
To detect if an unauthorized user is trying to access your account, you should turn on notifications for login attempts on your accounts. These notifications will alert you anytime someone has tried to log in to your account or an unknown user has recently logged in to your account. This will alert you that a cybercriminal is attacking you using some type of brute force attack and allow you to take action immediately.
Stay educated about cyber threats
Cybercriminals use a variety of cyber attacks to steal your login credentials which they can use for password spraying and credential stuffing. You need to stay educated about the different types of cyber attacks cybercriminals use to recognize and avoid them.
Cybercriminals often use phishing to trick users into revealing their login credentials. They will send emails or text messages with a malicious attachment or link impersonating a familiar face such as a legitimate company. If a user clicks on the link, they either install malware on their device or are taken to a spoofed website. The spoofed website prompts the user to give up their login credentials.
Protect Your Passwords With Keeper®
Password spraying and credential stuffing can have damaging effects on users who use weak or reused passwords. However, they can easily be avoided if a user protects their online accounts with strong and unique passwords and enables MFA. The average user has around 20 passwords to keep track of. It’s extremely difficult to manage a strong and unique password for each account yourself. To best protect your accounts, you should use a password manager.
Keeper Password Manager is zero trust and zero knowledge, ensuring that only you have access to your personal information. With Keeper, you can easily manage your passwords across any device and simplify logging in with KeeperFill.