The attacker copies the target's password file and then tries to crack passwords on his own system at a different location.

The attacker copies the target's password file and then tries to crack passwords on his own system at a different location.

• A. Offline Attacks
• B. Online Attacks
• C. Active Attacks
• D. Non-Electronic Attacks

Answer: (A)

Cracking passwords after copying the target’s password file is an offline attack. Here, the attacker steals the password file (or the password hashes) from the system and then does the cracking on their own computer at a different location, without interacting with the live login service. This approach lets them use substantial computing power, and often tools like rainbow tables or large wordlists, while avoiding direct contact with the target’s authentication system and the safeguards it would normally trigger (like failed login counters or account lockouts). Online attacks, in contrast, involve attempting passwords directly against the target’s login service, which can alert monitoring systems and trigger lockouts. Active attacks refer to actively manipulating systems or data to achieve access, and non-electronic attacks are non-digital methods. So the described scenario fits an offline attack.

Cracking passwords after copying the target’s password file is an offline attack. Here, the attacker steals the password file (or the password hashes) from the system and then does the cracking on their own computer at a different location, without interacting with the live login service. This approach lets them use substantial computing power, and often tools like rainbow tables or large wordlists, while avoiding direct contact with the target’s authentication system and the safeguards it would normally trigger (like failed login counters or account lockouts).

Online attacks, in contrast, involve attempting passwords directly against the target’s login service, which can alert monitoring systems and trigger lockouts. Active attacks refer to actively manipulating systems or data to achieve access, and non-electronic attacks are non-digital methods. So the described scenario fits an offline attack.