Analysing the Impact of Password Length and Complexity on the Effectiveness of Brute Force Attacks

Volume 17, Number 2

Analysing the Impact of Password Length and Complexity on the Effectiveness of Brute Force Attacks

Authors

Lama A. AlMalki ¹, Samah H. Alajmani ¹, Ben Soh ² and Raneem Y. Alyami ¹, ¹ Taif University, Saudi Arabia, ² La Trobe University, Australia

Abstract

This study investigates the critical role of password length and complexity in mitigating the effectiveness of brute force attacks, a prevalent method used by attackers to gain unauthorized access to systems. Passwords are the first line of defense in digital security, and their strength directly affects the time and resources required for a brute-force attack to be successful. The research explores the relationship between various password characteristics such as length, the inclusion of alphanumeric characters, special symbols, and case sensitivity and the resistance they provide against automated cracking attempts. Through a combination of theoretical analysis and practical simulation, the study demonstrates how even a small increase in password length can lead to exponential growth in the number of possible combinations, significantly delaying potential breaches.

Keywords

Password security, brute force attacks, password length, password complexity, cybersecurity.