If your system passwords are in the realm of “12345,” your pet’s name, or your address, you’re overdue for a change. Yes, we know it’s convenient, but it’s also dangerous. An easy-to-guess password across multiple systems leaves you vulnerable to a credential-stuffing attack.
People may think of cyber attacks as hacking, using codes, or sudden system takeovers. However, credential stuffing is sneakier and can ultimately be more debilitating. Read on to learn:
- The definition of credential stuffing
- Differences between brute force attacks and credential-focused ones
- How to prevent attacks and the importance of defense strategies
- Best practices and viable solutions against this specific cyberattack
What Is Credential Stuffing
Definition of credential stuffing
According to the OWASP Foundation, credential stuffing occurs when an attacker automatically inputs stolen usernames and passwords into login forms, allowing the perpetrator to access the user’s accounts.
How credential stuffing attacks occur
Cybercriminals typically get usernames and passwords from a website breach. Phishing attacks and password dump sites are also common means. Then, the criminal uses automation tools to test the stolen login credentials. They test it on websites, social media sites, apps, or online marketplaces.
Once the hacker gets in, they can access confidential information like credit cards, pictures, or documents. They can corrupt the account or use it to send phishing messages and spam to others. They can also sell your credentials to compromised sites, and other criminals will use them.
Common targets of credential stuffing
One of the biggest causes of credential stuffing-related breaches is a lack of sound password practices. For example, in a breach with Sony and Gawker, two-thirds of the cyber victims had used the same password for all their systems.
What makes credential stuffing effective?
Credential stuffing homes in on human error. Attackers count on too many people using the same username and/or password for multiple systems. It’s a more streamlined, targeted approach than a random malware launch. Using the same password for various accounts and the attacker ‘guesses’ your password renders multiple systems vulnerable.
Credential Stuffing vs. Brute Force Attacks
Differences between credential stuffing and brute force attacks
According to Imperva, brute force attacks guess credentials with no context. They try random patterns and strings of letters and numbers, common password phrase patterns, or dictionaries of common phrases. This attack type comprises five percent of confirmed security breaches.
Advantages and disadvantages of each method
Brute force is a more straightforward method that doesn’t rely on outside logic. It depends on passwords that are simple to guess. A brute force attack can take over if a batch of users in a data set have similar passwords. Some attackers use applications and scripts to attempt account takeover and bypass authentication methods. Bots perform the majority of these attacks. However, their dependence on inputting random characters means brute force has a lower success rate.
Credential stuffing depends on the theft of known usernames and passwords the attacker discovered. In other words, it uses actual data. Attackers exploit a user’s susceptibility to using the same username and password across multiple systems. Credential stuffing attacks are more likely to succeed than brute-force ones.
Impact on targeted systems
Cybercriminals can infiltrate a personal or enterprise network through brute force or credential stuffing. They can then use the network to exploit more vulnerabilities. For example, they can launch malware or ransomware. With ransomware, the perpetrators encrypt the files and demand a ransom for their release.
The Importance of Credential Stuffing Defense
Risks and consequences of credential stuffing
The consequences of this specific attack type are similar to those of other cyber threats. They may unleash malware, cause system shutdowns, and wreak havoc on a company’s productivity, technology, and revenue generation.
Naturally, the reputational damage from any cybersecurity breach is, at minimum, embarrassing for organizations. However, credential stuffing is alarming because an unauthorized party has access to your legitimate user names and passwords. Employees and customers are much less likely to trust or do business with an organization that exposes their usernames and passwords.
Protecting user accounts and sensitive data
Often, people add or create a username or password without a second thought. However, securing your login credentials can make a wealth of difference in reducing the chances of identity credentials theft. At your organization, avoid using your email address as a username so the attacker can't invade multiple accounts. Using a CAPTCHA helps, but since hackers can easily bypass it, combine it with other methods.
How to Prevent Credential Stuffing Attacks as a User
Enforcing multi-factor authentication
Someone may have successfully guessed your password, but multi-factor authentication (MFA) will bring attacker activity to a screeching halt. There’s a low chance they’ll have your hardware key or bypass biometric security like facial recognition. MFA allows organizations to lock their systems if the attackers guess user credentials.
Device fingerprinting ensures that only you can access your technology. One suggestion is to use JavaScript to collect user device information and create a device fingerprint for each upcoming session. You can code a fingerprint with parameters like time zone, operating system, language, or browser. If you see a user trying this set of parameters multiple times and sequentially, it's likely that a credentials attack is happening. One common fingerprint parameter is Operating System + Geolocation + Language.
Use unique and strong passwords
One of the easiest ways to prevent attacks is to create unique, difficult-to-guess passwords. A good rule of thumb is to have them at least twelve characters long and consist of random numbers, letters, and characters.
Best Practices for Organizations Against Credential Stuffing
Using password managers for secure credential management
A password manager can protect both usernames and passwords. Ideally, you should be able to use it to create new, impenetrable passwords. A trustworthy system lets you store payment information, addresses, and notes. A bonus is if the manager has saving and autofill capabilities so that you don’t have to re-enter the password on multiple devices and accounts continually.
Educating users on password hygiene
Proactive cybersecurity transcends installing technology. You need to educate others across your organization about how critical password hygiene is. Add it to your company training, especially for new hires. Also, check if you can set up your systems to prompt a password change regularly.
Utilizing bot detection and mitigation techniques
Bot detection and mitigation means continually scanning your systems and blocking harmful bots without compromising the user experience. One technique is blocking account access to users with headless browsers since they're typically not legitimate or verifiable users. An example is if the user's name is PhantomJS, which is identifiable through their JavaScript code.
Another approach is IP blacklisting. Attackers have a limited pool of IP addresses, so block or analyze IPs that try to log into multiple accounts. Monitor several IPs that log into a specific account and compare them against a suspicious one.
An additional strategy is rate-limiting non-residential web traffic sources. If you see traffic from entities like Amazon Web Services or other commercial data centers, it's likely that it's bot traffic. Stay vigilant with concerning behavior and restrict or block untrustworthy IPs.
Solutions for Credential Stuffing for Users and Organizations
How Last Pass can help prevent credential stuffing attacks
Choose a solution that explicitly protects your systems against credential stuffing. Take advantage of unique features like the password vault, where you can save and store everything from user credentials to payment information. It's an ideal place to save banking information, social media logins, and email.
Other features include its multi-factor authentication, where you designate the smartphone verification method. For example, you can set up a one-time passcode, a push notification, or a biometric screening with a face ID or fingerprint scan.
Credential stuffing is a particularly insidious cybercrime because the hacker has stolen your known username and password. If you use the same username and password on multiple accounts, then you're at greater risk for a cyber attack and identity theft. Awareness and proactive security management make a wealth of difference in diminishing the chances of an attacker stealing your username and password for nefarious purposes.
Start your LastPass trial today.
FAQ
Is credential stuffing a DDoS attack?
No, credential stuffing isn’t a DDoS attack. While they share a surface-level similarity in that botnets are used to automate attacks, their objectives differ.
Credential stuffing
Uses botnets to automatically inject stolen credentials into login portals to gain unauthorized access to accounts
DDoS Attacks
Uses botnets to flood a target system with traffic so that applications or resources are inaccessible to legitimate users
What are the most effective defenses against credential stuffing attacks?
The most effective defenses against credential stuffing attacks are:
· Avoiding password reuse
· Enforcing multi-factor authentication
· Implementing rate limiting, which caps the number of login attempts within a timeframe
· Deploying CAPTCHA technology to prevent automated bots from making login attempts on multiple accounts simultaneously
· Using advanced bot detection systems to defeat hacker tools that can bypass CAPTCHA technology
What measures can individuals take to protect against credential stuffing attacks?
Individuals can protect against credential stuffing attacks by creating strong, unique passwords for every account and using a Secure-by-Design password manager for safe credential management.
How does a credential stuffing attack work?
A credential stuffing attack generally follows a familiar pathway:
1. First, the attackers acquire lists of usernames and passwords, either from previous breaches or successful phishing attacks.
2. The attackers then use bots to automate and accelerate the process of gaining unauthorized access to multiple accounts simultaneously. Not all login attempts will be successful.
3. If access is gained, the attackers can drain the accounts of cash, make unauthorized transactions, steal identities, and sell the data on the Dark Web.
