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How Password Spraying Works—and Why It’s So Dangerous for Your Business
Imagine this: someone’s trying to break into your company’s digital front door—but they’re not banging on one lock with a thousand keys. Instead, they’re trying one key on a thousand different doors.
That’s password spraying—and it’s one of the fastest-growing and most effective cyberattacks hitting small and mid-sized businesses right now.
At qnectU, we see it all the time. A team member reuses a basic password like CompanyName2023! across multiple platforms. A hacker gets hold of a list of credentials (often from social media or other vendor breaches) and tries that one password across every account your company uses—boom. They’re in.
Let’s break down how this works and what you can do to stop it.
What Is Password Spraying?
Unlike traditional brute-force attacks (which hammer one account with a thousand password guesses), password spraying flips the script. It uses one password across many accounts—just one try per account to avoid lockouts and detection.
Hackers gather usernames from public sources or leaked data. Then, they cycle through weak, common passwords like Spring2024 or Welcome123. It’s quiet, it’s methodical, and it often works—because most breaches happen due to human error, not fancy hacking tools.
How It’s Different from Other Cyberattacks
Brute-Force Attacks: Focus on breaking into one account using endless password combinations. Easy to detect, often noisy.
Credential Stuffing: Uses real stolen username/password combos (from previous breaches) to try to log in elsewhere.
Password Spraying: Stays under the radar by spreading login attempts across many accounts with minimal noise—making it harder to catch and easier to succeed.
This makes password spraying incredibly dangerous for any business with weak password policies, no MFA, or no monitoring.
3 Core Protections Every Business Needs
1. Strong, Unique Passwords for Every Account
Encourage long, complex passwords with a mix of characters—and no repeats across platforms. Better yet, use a password manager that creates and stores them securely.
2. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
If a password gets compromised, MFA can stop the attack in its tracks. It’s not optional anymore—it’s essential.
3. Backup and Monitoring
If a breach does happen, your recovery plan matters. Monitor failed logins and run daily backups to limit exposure and reduce downtime.
Advanced Prevention Strategies
Login pattern detection: Monitor for login attempts to many accounts from the same device.
Stronger lockout policies: Balance security and usability—but don’t be too forgiving.
User training: Educate your team on password hygiene and phishing awareness.
Incident response plan: Know how you’ll react before something goes wrong.
Don’t Let Weak Passwords Take Down Your Business
Password spraying attacks are quiet, scalable, and highly effective—and they don’t require elite-level hacking skills to succeed. They just need someone on your team to use a lazy password.
The easiest way to get in shouldn’t be through your login page. Let’s change that.
👉 Click here to schedule a quick 26-minute call with qnectU, and we’ll help you identify your top vulnerabilities, review your cloud and password policies, and build a plan that actually protects your business.
Article adapted with permission from https://thetechnologypress.com/what-is-password-spraying/
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do you offer access to senior IT consultants or a vCSO for oversight and guidance?
Yes, we offer access to senior IT consultants and provide vCSO(Virtual Chief Security Officer) as a service for our clients. Our vCSO service provides your organization with expert leadership and strategic direction tailored to your unique cybersecurity and legal compliance needs. We are here to help you navigate the complexities of cybersecurity and ensure that your security posture is robust, compliant, and capable of addressing evolving cyber threats. Book a call today to get expert help with your company’s cybersecurity and compliance.
Do you have a high level of confidence in your security posture? If so, can you explain why?
We have a high level of confidence in the security posture of our company and our clients. Our security stack includes several components to ensure strong and resilient cybersecurity measures. We provide comprehensive risk management, regular audits and assessments, advanced security technologies, employee training and awareness, and incident response planning. Our systems and solutions follow established industry standards and best practices to keep your company safe and your data secure. Since every company has different risks depending on the data, systems, utilization, and more, we can work with your team to develop a robust security plan and implement the proper measures as needed. Reach out today to strengthen your company’s security posture!
Do you have a Disaster Recovery (DR) plan? If so, what’s in place? Is it tested regularly?
We provide robust Disaster Recovery (DR) plans, covering preventative, detective, and corrective measures. Our DR strategies are tailored to each client’s specific needs and are designed to ensure rapid recovery and continuity of operations in the event of any disaster. These plans are regularly reviewed and tested to guarantee they function effectively and meet the highest standards of resilience and reliability. And if a disaster were to occur outside of regular business hours, we have you covered! At qnectU, we have a response time of mere minutes for emergency after-hours calls, ensuring a rapid response to implement your Disaster Recovery plan. Book a call today to protect your company in the event of a disaster.
Do you perform regular risk assessments?
Here at qnectU, we conduct regular risk assessments as a core part of our risk management strategy. Our process is comprehensive, involving identification, categorization, and response planning for potential security risks, including technical vulnerabilities, access controls, and more. These assessments help us understand, control, and mitigate all forms of cyber risk, ensuring that our security measures are effective and up-to-date. But most importantly, we provide continual risk assessments at pre-determined intervals based on your company’s risk level. This ensures that issues are corrected, new risks are identified, and compliance is properly documented. Want to see how our in-depth business risk assessments work? Book a consultation today to get an in-depth risk assessment of your company’s current network security.
Do you follow proven change management principles?
We are committed to following proven change management principles. We understand the importance of structured and systematic processes in implementing changes that affect cybersecurity protocols and IT environments. Our approach is based on industry-recognized frameworks and methodologies that ensure changes are managed effectively, focusing on minimizing risks, enhancing security posture, and achieving strategic objectives.
Do you address all my compliance needs, including HIPAA?
We specialize in Compliance as a Service (CaaS), and our program is designed to meet a wide range of regulatory requirements to ensure that your business adheres to the highest standards of compliance. We demonstrate our compliance through detailed assessments, documentation, and third-party audits. Our expertise and ongoing support can give you confidence that your company’s sensitive information is managed securely and in full compliance with all regulations.
Is third-party auditing provided to ensure cybersecurity and compliance requirements are being met?
In today’s world a business can easily be compromised via a “supply chain hack.” There have been several instances where the IT company has exposed all of their clients to hacking due to their own lack of cybersecurity measures. In order to prevent this within our own company, we work closely with a third party for comprehensive auditing services to ensure that all cybersecurity and compliance requirements are met. Our rigorous audit process involves a thorough examination of our systems and practices against established industry standards and best practices. This collaboration provides an objective perspective and deep expertise to identify any potential vulnerabilities, ensuring that our cybersecurity measures are robust, up-to-date, and in full compliance with regulatory demands.
What is Compliance as a Service (Caas)?
Compliance as a Service (Caas) means that our experts will give you specialized help in handling all the rules and regulations your business needs to follow. We do this by providing expert guidance to help you determine what rules apply to your business and how to follow them. All while giving ongoing support to monitor your compliance status and updates in regulations. This may also include any advanced tools to help manage compliance tasks and risk management surrounding compliance. CaaS takes the hassle out of compliance so you can focus on running your business with confidence.
Who is Greg Mauer?
Gregory Mauer is the founder and CEO of our company, a best-selling author, speaker, and a cybersecurity & compliance expert. He has been on stage with the likes of the “Nice Shark”, Robert Herjavec, Siri co-founder Adam Cheyer, and business coach and author Mike Michalowicz.
Answers To Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you offer access to senior IT consultants or a vCSO for oversight and guidance?
Yes, we offer access to senior IT consultants and provide vCSO(Virtual Chief Security Officer) as a service for our clients. Our vCSO service provides your organization with expert leadership and strategic direction tailored to your unique cybersecurity and legal compliance needs. We are here to help you navigate the complexities of cybersecurity and ensure that your security posture is robust, compliant, and capable of addressing evolving cyber threats. Book a call today to get expert help with your company’s cybersecurity and compliance.
Do you have a high level of confidence in your security posture? If so, can you explain why?
We have a high level of confidence in the security posture of our company and our clients. Our security stack includes several components to ensure strong and resilient cybersecurity measures. We provide comprehensive risk management, regular audits and assessments, advanced security technologies, employee training and awareness, and incident response planning. Our systems and solutions follow established industry standards and best practices to keep your company safe and your data secure. Since every company has different risks depending on the data, systems, utilization, and more, we can work with your team to develop a robust security plan and implement the proper measures as needed. Reach out today to strengthen your company’s security posture!
Do you have a Disaster Recovery (DR) plan? If so, what’s in place? Is it tested regularly?
We provide robust Disaster Recovery (DR) plans, covering preventative, detective, and corrective measures. Our DR strategies are tailored to each client’s specific needs and are designed to ensure rapid recovery and continuity of operations in the event of any disaster. These plans are regularly reviewed and tested to guarantee they function effectively and meet the highest standards of resilience and reliability. And if a disaster were to occur outside of regular business hours, we have you covered! At qnectU, we have a response time of mere minutes for emergency after-hours calls, ensuring a rapid response to implement your Disaster Recovery plan. Book a call today to protect your company in the event of a disaster.
Do you perform regular risk assessments?
Here at qnectU, we conduct regular risk assessments as a core part of our risk management strategy. Our process is comprehensive, involving identification, categorization, and response planning for potential security risks, including technical vulnerabilities, access controls, and more. These assessments help us understand, control, and mitigate all forms of cyber risk, ensuring that our security measures are effective and up-to-date. But most importantly, we provide continual risk assessments at pre-determined intervals based on your company’s risk level. This ensures that issues are corrected, new risks are identified, and compliance is properly documented. Want to see how our in-depth business risk assessments work? Book a consultation today to get an in-depth risk assessment of your company’s current network security.
Do you follow proven change management principles?
We are committed to following proven change management principles. We understand the importance of structured and systematic processes in implementing changes that affect cybersecurity protocols and IT environments. Our approach is based on industry-recognized frameworks and methodologies that ensure changes are managed effectively, focusing on minimizing risks, enhancing security posture, and achieving strategic objectives.
Do you address all my compliance needs, including HIPAA?
We specialize in Compliance as a Service (CaaS), and our program is designed to meet a wide range of regulatory requirements to ensure that your business adheres to the highest standards of compliance. We demonstrate our compliance through detailed assessments, documentation, and third-party audits. Our expertise and ongoing support can give you confidence that your company’s sensitive information is managed securely and in full compliance with all regulations.
Is third-party auditing provided to ensure cybersecurity and compliance requirements are being met?
In today’s world a business can easily be compromised via a “supply chain hack.” There have been several instances where the IT company has exposed all of their clients to hacking due to their own lack of cybersecurity measures. In order to prevent this within our own company, we work closely with a third party for comprehensive auditing services to ensure that all cybersecurity and compliance requirements are met. Our rigorous audit process involves a thorough examination of our systems and practices against established industry standards and best practices. This collaboration provides an objective perspective and deep expertise to identify any potential vulnerabilities, ensuring that our cybersecurity measures are robust, up-to-date, and in full compliance with regulatory demands.
What is Compliance as a Service (Caas)?
Compliance as a Service (Caas) means that our experts will give you specialized help in handling all the rules and regulations your business needs to follow. We do this by providing expert guidance to help you determine what rules apply to your business and how to follow them. All while giving ongoing support to monitor your compliance status and updates in regulations. This may also include any advanced tools to help manage compliance tasks and risk management surrounding compliance. CaaS takes the hassle out of compliance so you can focus on running your business with confidence.
Who is Greg Mauer?
Gregory Mauer is the founder and CEO of our company, a best-selling author, speaker, and a cybersecurity & compliance expert. He has been on stage with the likes of the “Nice Shark”, Robert Herjavec, Siri co-founder Adam Cheyer, and business coach and author Mike Michalowicz.
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