Do websites record your failed login attempts?

Answer by  tschebyshev (252)

Yes, they can record them, but most do not. The best way to prevent failed login attempts from occurring is to rely on password software. There are 3rd party password utilities, and some browsers (like firefox and chrome) have built this functionality right into the browser itself.

Answer by  mangosteen (272)

Most websites probably count the number of login attempts you make to know if your login behavior appears like an attempt to break in forcibly. As far as recording the actual passwords you entered, I doubt that legitimate sites do that - there wouldn't be much for them to gain.

Answer by  Krabi (112)

Untrustworthy sites probably do try to harvest login/password combinations and then test them out on popular sites such as facebook, gmail, paypal etc... but trustworthy sites probably do not keep a record of your failed login attempts. You should know that they can record them if they want to.

Answer by  Justin81 (21)

I don't believe that they do. Password attempts just send a query to the server. If the query comes back false, then access is denied and the page doesn't load. It is possible that some less reputable sites save failed passwords, but I personally have never seen it.

Answer by  vvvvvvvv (140)

Certain websites may not let you attempt to log in if you repeatedly enter the wrong password. You may have to wait for a specific amount of time before you are allowed to retry the password. I do not think they keep records of the password you entered for the failed attempt.