A measure of the difficulty that an Attacker has to guess the average password used in a system. In this document, entropy is stated in bits. When a password has n-bits of guessing entropy then an attacker has as much difficulty guessing the average password as in guessing an n-bit random quantity. The attacker is assumed to know the actual password frequency distribution. (SP 800-63) (NISTIR) Cyber Glossary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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A measure of the difficulty that an Attacker has to guess the average password used in a system. In this document, entropy is stated in bits. When a password has n-bits of guessing entropy then an attacker has as much difficulty guessing the average password as in guessing an n-bit random quantity. The attacker is assumed to know the actual password frequency distribution. (SP 800-63) (NISTIR) Cyber Glossary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Cite this term
Election Security Glossary. (2026). Guessing Entropy. In Election Security Glossary. Retrieved August 22, 2026, from https://electionsecurityglossary.com/glossary/guessing-entropy
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