Passwords that contain recognizable words are particularly vulnerable to which type of attack?

Passwords that contain recognizable words are particularly vulnerable to a dictionary attack. This type of attack relies on a precompiled list of words or common passwords that attackers use to guess passwords quickly. Since many users tend to choose passwords that are easy to remember, including actual words or common phrases, these are prime targets for dictionary attacks. Attackers leverage this by using software that can swiftly check passwords against a database of common words, phrases, and previously compromised password lists.

In contrast, denial of service attacks focus on overwhelming a system to make it unavailable, phishing attacks are centered around deceiving users into providing sensitive information, and brute force attacks involve systematically trying all possible combinations until the correct password is found. These other methods do not specifically exploit the weakness of recognizable words in passwords as dictionary attacks do.