A security analyst reviews authentication logs and discovers hundreds of failed login attempts from a single external IP address within a five-minute window. All attempts target the same username 'jsmith' but use different passwords. Which type of password attack does this pattern most likely indicate?

Password spraying

Incorrect. Password spraying attempts a single common password against many usernames to avoid lockouts. This scenario targets one username with many passwords.

Credential stuffing

Incorrect. Credential stuffing uses stolen username/password pairs from previous breaches to log in automatically. The attempts here show varying passwords, not reused known credentials.

Dictionary attack

Incorrect. While a dictionary attack also uses a list of likely passwords, it is a subset of brute force. The broader category 'brute force' is more accurate given the large volume and systematic nature of the attempts.

What does this SY0-701 question test?

Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Brute force — The scenario describes many different passwords being tried against a single username. This is characteristic of a brute force attack, where an attacker systematically attempts all possible password combinations (or a large set) for a specific account until the correct one is found. Password spraying would involve trying the same password against many usernames. Credential stuffing uses previously breached username/password pairs. A dictionary attack uses a list of common passwords but still focuses on a single account or multiple accounts; the key difference here is the volume and pattern of attempts against one username.

What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?

Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.