the.com/dictionary attack
hackers don't guess your password, they just recite the dictionary at your login screen.
means a hacking method that tries every word in a wordlist (real words, common passwords, leaked databases) instead of random characters, because humans are predictably lazy with passwords.
from named for the obvious tactic: instead of brute-forcing every possible character combo, attackers use an actual dictionary or curated wordlist of common passwords, since real people rarely pick truly random ones.
speed edgecracks weak passwords in seconds, not centuries
favorite targetspassword123, qwerty, and your dog's name
defenselong random passphrases outrun any wordlist
origin erapredates modern computing, used on early unix logins