Credential Stuffing, a vital yet often overlooked aspect of cybersecurity, needs to be addressed with urgency. An alarmingly large segment of the population engages in the risky habit of using the same password for various accounts. This behavior parallels the risk of using a universal key for various locks in your life, such as those for your home, car, or even hotel rooms during vacations. This concerning trend is underscored by key statistics on password usage, shedding light on significant patterns in online security behaviors.

Statistics on password usage highlight some significant trends in online security behavior:

• The password "123456" remains the most frequently chosen by users
• Approximately 30% of internet users have suffered a data breach due to weak passwords.
• In the U.S., 59% of adults incorporate their names or birthdays into their passwords, a practice that can compromise security.
• Nearly two-thirds of Americans have a habit of using the same password for multiple accounts.
• About 13% of American users go a step further, employing the exact same password for every one of their online accounts.

These figures highlight the ongoing challenges in promoting stronger password security habits among internet users.

Understanding Credential Stuffing

Credential Stuffing represents a formidable type of cyberattack wherein hackers utilize stolen passwords to gain unauthorized access to various services. This type of cyber attack is a covert method for attackers to take over accounts. This method does not rely on arbitrary guesswork of passwords - they're using ones they already obtained from prior data breaches. Attackers employ automation using bots to test these stolen passwords on numerous accounts, sometimes limiting attempts per IP address to evade detection.

If you run a service with extensive user accounts, especially a service that stores financial or personal info, you are prime targets for such attacks. From draining funds to stealing data, the damage can be huge. And it's not just about finances, but also reputational damage.

Strategies for Enhanced Protection

There are several effective strategies and tools that can be implemented to enhance security and mitigate the risk of credential stuffing. These measures include:

• Adopting Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): 
  • MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to provide two or more verification factors to gain access to a resource like an online account, a computer system, or a database. This typically involves something the user knows (like a password), something the user has (like a smartphone app or security token), and something the user is (like a fingerprint or other biometric).
    
• Restricting the number of login attempts: 
  • Limiting the number of times a user can attempt to log in helps prevent brute force attacks, where an attacker tries numerous combinations to guess a password.
    
• Monitoring for Brute Force Attempts
  • Credential stuffing attacks are often high-volume affairs, and involve repeatedly attempting to login with different credentials. Web Application and API Protection (WAAP) tools can monitor and block these ‘brute-force’ attempts directly.
    
• Behavioral Detection
  • While simple credential stuffing attacks may be easily detected as ‘brute force’ attempts, more sophisticated attackers require behavioral analysis. API security tools should be able to monitor multiple aspects of a users’ session to evaluate attributes like request rate, request intervals, and other suspicious behavior to identify abusive behavior.

Addressing the Shortcomings of Conventional Security with Wallarm's Advanced Approach

Prior to implementing Wallarm's Credential Stuffing Detection, organizations struggled to develop an effective defense against such attacks. Conventional security methods frequently fell short, being easily overcome. Attackers managed to evade current security systems, either by prolonging their attack timeline or using a distributed botnet approach. This resulted in a substantial shortfall in security defenses, highlighting the demand for a more comprehensive and advanced solution, as provided by Wallarm.

Wallarm's Approach: Automated Intelligence in Credential Stuffing Detection

Wallarm has introduced an advanced detection system capable of accurately monitoring authentication endpoints and configuring tailored alerts, enabling swift responses to any emerging threats. We are excited to unveil the latest  enhancement to Wallarm's Advanced API Security Product - Credential Stuffing Detection. This capability, a key component of our Advanced API Security subscription, is integrated into the latest version of the Wallarm node, Wallarm node 4.10.

Wallarm provides a variety of methods to detect credential stuffing, including the identification of brute force attempts and behavioral analysis through API Abuse Prevention. Our new feature offers security analysts enhanced control, allowing for the detection of every instance where a known-compromised credential is used. This feature enables users to:

• Set up monitoring for specific authentication endpoints against credential stuffing.
• Utilize insights from API Discovery for automatic identification of authentication endpoints.
• Create customized triggers and alerts for incidents related to credential stuffing.

Wallarm empowers organizations to rapidly identify compromised user accounts. This feature significantly broadens Wallarm’s capacity to safeguard against credential stuffing threats.

As businesses continue to extend their digital reach through WebApps and APIs, the imperative for strong defense mechanisms against credential stuffing intensifies. Wallarm not only fulfills this need but surpasses expectations in doing so. Detailed information about this feature can be found in our documentation.

Further Resources & Support

Interested in a deeper insight into keeping your accounts secure from credential stuffing? Explore our comprehensive guide in the Learning Center. Alternatively, schedule a demo with Wallarm to discover how we safeguard against such attacks or find out more from our Credential Stuffing Detection datasheet our information on credential stuffing webpage.