John, a novice web user, makes a new E-mail account and keeps his password as "apple", his favorite fruit. John's password is vulnerable to which of the following password cracking attacks?
Each correct answer represents a complete solution. (Choose all that apply.)
John's password 'apple' is vulnerable to both dictionary and brute force attacks. A dictionary attack uses a precompiled list of commonly used passwords, including common words like 'apple,' to guess the password. A brute force attack, on the other hand, attempts all possible combinations of characters until the correct password is found. Given that 'apple' is a simple and common word, it can be easily cracked by both dictionary and brute force methods. However, a rule-based attack is less likely to be effective in this case, as it generally involves applying specific rules to generate password variations. Similarly, while a hybrid attack combines dictionary and brute force methods, the password 'apple' would be straightforwardly recognized in a dictionary attack itself.
In a hybrid attack, the attacker may use a combination of dictionary words, common patterns, and rules (such as appending numbers or special characters) to generate potential passwords. Since "apple" is already a dictionary word, it would typically be targeted directly in a dictionary attack rather than as part of a hybrid attack. Similarly, in a rule-based attack, the attacker applies specific rules or patterns to generate potential passwords. While "apple" could potentially be part of a larger set of rules, it is more commonly targeted through a straightforward dictionary attack due to its simplicity and common usage. Therefore, it is not typically considered vulnerable to hybrid or rule-based attacks.