What are dictionary attacks?

A dictionary attack is when someone tries to guess a password by using lots of common words from a list, like looking up a secret in a real dictionary.

Imagine you have a treasure box, and the key to open it is a password. You don’t know what the password is, but you think it might be something simple, like "apple" or "dog." So instead of guessing randomly, you try all the words from your dictionary, that big book full of words you use every day.

In a dictionary attack, the person trying to guess the password uses a list of common passwords. This list is like a real dictionary, it has lots of everyday words and phrases people might use for their passwords.

• If your password is "password," they’ll find it fast.
• If it's "123456," they'll find that too.
• But if you used something weird, like "bananaflavoredsocks," they might not get it right away!

It’s like trying to open the treasure box by checking every word in your dictionary, one at a time.