What does a brute force attack attempt to achieve?

A brute force attack specifically targets the process of unauthorized access through the systematic trial of various password combinations. This method involves an attacker using automated tools to repeatedly attempt to guess the correct password for an account or encrypted file, relying on the exhaustive nature of their approach.

The nature of a brute force attack is such that it does not initially involve accessing files directly, disrupting traffic, or bypassing security measures like firewalls. Instead, the attacker’s primary goal is to decode passwords. They employ trial and error methods, often leveraging dictionaries of common passwords or using rainbow tables to quickly find matches. This is why the focus on unauthorized access via password combinations is the correct perspective on what brute force attacks aim to achieve.