Breached Credentials and Risk Profiling
Breached Credentials and Risk Profiling: Advanced Defences Against Credential Stuffing
Credential stuffing attacks threaten online security. Attackers exploit stolen username and password combinations to gain unauthorised access to user accounts across multiple websites and services. Traditional defences fail to stop sophisticated attacks. Advanced detection methods offer a solution.
Breached Credential Databases and Risk Profiling
Breached credential databases store billions of leaked username and password pairs from data breaches. Security teams use these databases to identify compromised accounts. Risk profiling builds on this data to detect suspicious login attempts.
Peakhour's Breached Credentials service helps organisations leverage this data to enhance their security posture.
Building Statistical Models
To detect credential stuffing, organisations build statistical models of normal breached credential use. This process involves:
- Collecting data from API and login endpoint attempts
- Aggregating data using device fingerprints
- Analysing login patterns and credential use frequency
- Establishing baselines for typical user behaviour
These models reveal patterns in how breached credentials appear in login attempts and canb inform organisational risk of credential stuffing attacks..
Our Bot Management solution incorporates these statistical models to differentiate between legitimate users and automated attacks.
Detecting Credential Stuffing
Statistical models detect credential stuffing attempts that bypass traditional bot detection and rate limiting. Examples include:
- A spike in login attempts using breached credentials from a fingerprint
- A spike in login attempts using breached credentials from a new location
- Multiple account access attempts using different breached credentials from the same device
- Login patterns that deviate from a user's typical behaviour
This approach catches attacks that mimic human behaviour or use residential proxy networks to evade IP-based detection.
Peakhour's Residential Proxy Detection further enhances protection against attacks using distributed networks.
Contextual Security Measures
Breached credential detection enables contextual security. When suspicious activity occurs, the system signals the origin application to take action. Examples include:
- Requiring multi-factor authentication for high-risk logins
- Limiting account access until identity verification
- Alerting security teams for manual review
Peakhour's Account Protection solution implements these measures to safeguard user accounts.
For more information on the limitations of MFA and why additional protections are necessary, read our blog post on Why MFA is an Incomplete Defence.
Implementing Advanced Protection
Organisations must implement advanced security measures to defend against credential stuffing attacks. Peakhour's Contextual Security features provide:
- Real-time breached credential detection
- Risk-based authentication challenges
- Adaptive security policies based on threat level
These capabilities form a robust defence against account takeover attempts.
Our Advanced Rate Limiting solution complements these features by providing granular control over request rates, further mitigating the risk of automated attacks.
The Business Impact of Credential Stuffing
Credential stuffing attacks can have severe consequences for businesses. They lead to account takeovers, data breaches, and reputational damage. To understand the full extent of this threat, read our analysis on the Business Impact of Credential Stuffing.
Compliance and Regulatory Considerations
For Australian businesses, protecting against credential stuffing aligns with regulatory requirements. Our blog post on Credential Stuffing and CPS 234 explores the implications for financial institutions and other regulated entities.
Conclusion
Breached credential databases and risk profiling offer powerful tools to combat credential stuffing attacks. By leveraging statistical models and contextual security measures, organisations can detect and prevent unauthorised access attempts. Implementing these advanced techniques provides essential protection for user accounts and sensitive data in today's threat landscape.
To learn more about how Peakhour can help protect your organisation from credential stuffing and other cyber threats, visit our Bot Security Check page or contact our team for a consultation.