Etymology

dictionary attack

dic·tion·a·ry at·tack

Today it means: An attempt to illegally access a computer network, website, etc., that uses a list of words (from a dictionary) to try to guess decryption keys or passwords. Full definition →

First used 1980s
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The story

From dictionary + attack.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 1980s An attempt to illegally access a computer network, website, etc., that uses a list of words (from a dictionary) to try to guess decryption keys or passwords.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.