Learn in the textbookAttacks Targeting Passwords and Authentication
DefinitionA dictionary attack (辞書攻撃) guesses a password by trying, one after another, a list of words and strings that people tend to choose as passwords.
ExplanationThe attacker prepares only likely candidates such as names, English words and common number sequences, so a password can sometimes fall after only a few attempts. Strings that are not on the list never match, so choosing a random string over a meaningful word is an effective defense.
AnalogyIt is like a burglar hunting for a spare key who checks only the usual hiding spots, such as under the flowerpot or behind the mailbox, and ignores everywhere else.
Memory hookThe “dictionary” here is not a language dictionary but the attacker's own word book of commonly used passwords.