What is Online Password Cracking | Definition and Meaning

In online password cracking, a malicious actor attempts to gain access to the account through the regular login system, thus unlike in offline password cracking, the hacker may encounter lockouts or throttling. It may target users generically in a trawling attack, e.g., trying common passwords with a list of user accounts, with such an attack sometimes referred to as password spraying. Online attacks can be prevented through blocking the permitted number of attempts for a single IP, but a botnet can bypass this restriction and try a large number of common passwords for each account. Attempts to be overly strict with locking out hackers, can also facilitate a DDoS attack as legitimate users become unable to log in.