Password Spraying Attack Detection
A security analyst is reviewing authentication logs from a corporate web application. The logs show that over a span of two hours, a single external IP address attempted to log in with 500 different usernames, each using the same password 'Spring2024!'. Only a few of these attempts succeeded. Which type of attack is most likely being observed?
Quick Answer
The correct answer is a password spraying attack. This is because the attacker used a single common password, 'Spring2024!', against hundreds of different usernames rather than trying many passwords against one account. The technical concept behind password spraying attack detection hinges on recognizing this low-and-slow pattern: by spreading failed attempts across many accounts, the attacker avoids triggering account lockout policies, which typically activate after a few failures on a single user. On the Security+ SY0-701 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish password spraying from brute force or credential stuffing—a common trap is confusing it with a dictionary attack, but remember that spraying uses one password per user, not multiple passwords. For a quick memory tip, think of a garden sprinkler: it sprays one type of water (one password) over many plants (many usernames), rather than drenching one plant with different streams.
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse password spraying with brute force: candidates see 'same password' and think brute force, but the key distinction is the attacker targets many usernames with one password, not one username with many passwords.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Password spraying attack
This is a password spraying attack because the attacker uses a single common password ('Spring2024!') against many different usernames. This technique avoids account lockout policies that typically trigger after multiple failed attempts on a single account, and the few successful logins indicate valid credentials were found.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Brute force attack
Why it's wrong here
A brute force attack typically targets a single username with many password attempts. The logs show many usernames with one password, not one username with many passwords.
When this WOULD be correct
A brute force attack would be correct if the logs showed a single username being targeted with many different password attempts (e.g., thousands of passwords against one account).
- ✓
Password spraying attack
Why this is correct
Correct. Password spraying involves trying a small number of common passwords against many accounts to avoid detection and lockout. The single password used across numerous usernames is the hallmark of this attack.
- ✗
Credential stuffing attack
Why it's wrong here
Credential stuffing uses known username and password pairs from previous breaches. The logs show the same password for different usernames, not unique compromised credentials.
When this WOULD be correct
An exam scenario where logs show multiple login attempts using different username/password combinations that match known credential dumps from previous breaches, with many successful logins due to password reuse.
- ✗
Dictionary attack
Why it's wrong here
A dictionary attack is a type of brute force that tries multiple passwords from a wordlist against a single username. This scenario uses one password against many usernames, ruling out a dictionary attack.
When this WOULD be correct
A security analyst observes logs showing a single username being targeted with hundreds of different passwords from a common password list, with a few successful logins. This would indicate a dictionary attack.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The SY0-701 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Password spraying attackCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Correct. Password spraying involves trying a small number of common passwords against many accounts to avoid detection and lockout. The single password used across numerous usernames is the hallmark of this attack.
✗Brute force attackWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A brute force attack typically tries many passwords against a single username, but here one password is tried against many usernames, which is characteristic of password spraying.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A brute force attack would be correct if the logs showed a single username being targeted with many different password attempts (e.g., thousands of passwords against one account).
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'brute force' as any attack that tries many login attempts, not realizing the specific pattern of password spraying uses one password across many usernames.
✗Credential stuffing attackWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Credential stuffing uses previously leaked username/password pairs, not a single password across many usernames. The attack here uses the same password for all attempts, which is characteristic of password spraying.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
An exam scenario where logs show multiple login attempts using different username/password combinations that match known credential dumps from previous breaches, with many successful logins due to password reuse.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse credential stuffing with password spraying because both involve many usernames, but they forget that credential stuffing relies on known password pairs, not a single password.
✗Dictionary attackWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A dictionary attack typically uses a list of common passwords against a single username, but here the attacker used one password against many usernames, which is characteristic of password spraying.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A security analyst observes logs showing a single username being targeted with hundreds of different passwords from a common password list, with a few successful logins. This would indicate a dictionary attack.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'dictionary attack' with any attack using a list of common passwords, not realizing that the direction (many passwords per user vs. one password per many users) distinguishes it from password spraying.
Analysis generated from the official SY0-701blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Wireless Security Protocols
Key term
Password spraying
Password spraying is a type of brute-force attack where an attacker tries a few commonly used passwords against many different accounts to avoid account lockouts.
Key term
IP address
An IP address is a unique numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every SY0-701 question from scratch — 1,013 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on SY0-701
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A security analyst detects a high volume of failed authentication attempts from IP address 203.0.113.1 against a web application. The attempts use different usernames, such as 'admin', 'root', 'test', and several common names. Account lockout policies are configured to lock an account after five failed attempts. Despite this, the analyst sees the attempts continuing over several hours. Which of the following security controls is most likely missing or improperly configured?
medium- A.Increase the account lockout threshold to a lower number
- B.Implement geofencing to block traffic from the attacker's region
- ✓ C.Configure rate limiting per source IP address
- D.Enable detailed failed login attempt logging
Why C: Rate limiting per source IP address is the correct control because it restricts the number of authentication requests from a single IP (203.0.113.1) within a given time window, regardless of the usernames used. Account lockout policies are ineffective here because the attacker is rotating through different usernames (e.g., 'admin', 'root', 'test'), so no single account reaches the five-failed-attempt threshold. By limiting the request rate from the source IP, the analyst can throttle the attacker's brute-force attempts without affecting legitimate users.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SY0-701 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SY0-701 exam.