WHAT IS A DICTIONARY ATTACK ?

• A dictionary attack means when the hackers try to gain the passwords of a protected site or area by using every word in the dictionary (as a means of guessing the password) to get the required input.
  These kind of attacks are used on home based computer users, to hack wifi password, to unzip winrar with protected password, because many people use very poor passwords that are simply common words or names.In these kind of areas dictionary attack will be more efficient than the alternative which is a brute force attack.
  When the users use complicated passwords the chances of dictionary attack are very less. Dictionary attacks can also experience a higher level of success when they utilise string manipulation.
  Examples of string manipulation include inserting capitalised letters into words, spelling words backwards and using common number replacements, that’s replacing the letter ‘a’ with the number ‘4’.
  Dictionary attack effectiveness can also depend upon the types of words being checked and the order in which they are tried.For example, using lists of names can often yield quick results due to the fact that so many people use their own name as their password!
  When a dictionary attack proves the hacker may use less subtle means, such as a brute force attack
  To preventing someone from gaining your password either through brute force or via a dictionary, may be next to impossible.