dictionary attack

American  

noun

Computers.

1. an attempt to break into a password-protected computer or computer system with a software program that successively tries all the words in a large dictionary or other word list.

2. an attempt by a spammer to obtain a list of valid email addresses by testing possible usernames in combination with a domain name.

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dictionary attack British  

noun

1. an attempt to hack into a computer or network by submitting every word in a dictionary as a possible password

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Etymology

Origin of dictionary attack

First recorded in 1985–90