Open your security logs and you'll likely find a steady stream of failed logins for usernames like admin, administrator, and your domain name. That's a brute-force attack: software guessing username-and-password combinations, around the clock, hoping one lands.
Why it works more often than it should
- Reused passwords leaked from other breaches.
- Predictable usernames (admin, or the author name shown on posts).
- No limit on login attempts, so guesses are effectively unlimited.
- No second factor, so a correct password is the only thing standing in the way.
How to shut it down
The fixes are well understood: enforce strong, unique passwords, add two-factor authentication, limit and throttle login attempts, rename or protect the login URL, and block IPs that cross a threshold of failures. Layer them and brute force goes from a real risk to background noise.
When to call in help
If your site is already down, hacked, or eating bandwidth, every hour of guesswork costs money. Ximbalo runs a full diagnostic, finds the root cause, and gives you a clear repair estimate before any work begins.
Book a consult or request a $250 assessment from the homepage — we get you back online and hardened against the next attack.