Brute-force attack
Guessing passwords or codes over and over until one works.
Definition
Attackers automate thousands of guesses. Apps defend with lockouts, rate limiting, CAPTCHAs and strong password rules. Testers check that repeated wrong attempts are actually limited.
In practice
Entering a wrong 6-digit SMS code 20 times in a row should be blocked long before every code could be tried.
Learn it in context
Lessons that use this term.