What term describes an automated process used to guess a system user's password?

• A. Password sniffing
• B. Password logging
• C. Password cracking
• D. Password engineering

Answer: (C)

Password cracking is an automated process used to guess a system user's password. It relies on tools that systematically try large numbers of guesses—using methods like brute force, dictionary attacks, or precomputed tables—to uncover the correct password and gain access. This differs from password sniffing, which captures passwords as they travel over a network, and password logging, which records passwords, or password engineering, which isn’t a standard term for guessing credentials. Understanding this highlights why strong, lengthy passwords and multi-factor authentication are key defenses against such automated guessing attempts.