Final answer:
The policy of wiping a device after several failed login attempts is used to prevent brute forcing by automatically deleting the device's data, thwarting further password guessing attempts.
Step-by-step explanation:
Enforcing a policy that erases a device after a number of failed login attempts is primarily used to prevent brute forcing. Brute forcing is an attack method where an attacker tries many passwords or passphrases with the hope of eventually guessing the correct one. The policy of device wiping acts as a deterrent by erasing all data on the device after a set number of incorrect attempts, thus preventing the attacker from continuously trying different password combinations.