Patent ID: 8613097

Claim:
A method for identifying a password attack, the method comprising: receiving a first plurality of successive access requests during a same access session or from a same location, wherein the first plurality of successive access requests comprises a first plurality of passwords for a first username; receiving a second plurality of successive access requests during the same access session or from the same location, wherein the second plurality of successive access requests comprises a second plurality of passwords for a second username, and wherein each password in the first plurality of passwords and the second plurality of passwords comprises a plurality of alpha-numeric characters; comparing, by a processor, the plurality of alpha-numeric characters for each of the first plurality of passwords to the plurality of alpha-numeric characters for each of the second plurality of passwords to determine that one or more passwords in the first plurality of passwords are the same as one or more passwords in the second plurality of passwords; comparing, by the processor, each of the first plurality of passwords to one another to determine that a sequential pattern of changes occurs in the plurality of alpha-numeric characters across the first plurality of passwords; and blocking further access requests from the same location or that use the first username or the second username in response to the determination that the one or more passwords in the first plurality of passwords are the same as the one or more passwords in the second plurality of passwords and that the sequential pattern of changes occurs in the plurality of alpha-numeric characters across the first plurality of passwords.