Which type of attack does a Brute Force Attack represent?

A Brute Force Attack is best classified as a password recovery attack. In this type of attack, an attacker systematically tries numerous combinations of passwords until the correct one is found. This method is purely based on computational power and algorithmic effort, rather than exploiting any vulnerabilities or weaknesses in the target system or network.

The goal of a brute force attack is to gain unauthorized access to accounts or data by obtaining the password, which directly aligns with the concept of password recovery. Unlike other types of attacks, which may focus on deception (as in social engineering), overwhelm server resources (as in denial-of-service), or exploit network vulnerabilities (as seen in network-based attacks), a brute force attack specifically targets the authentication process with the aim of guessing credentials. This fundamental characteristic solidifies its classification as a password recovery attack.