Examples of Common Password Hash Algorithms

📚 Quick Study Guide

🔑 Password Hashing: One-way function that transforms a password into a fixed-size string of characters (the hash). 🛡️ Purpose: To store passwords securely, so even if a database is compromised, the actual passwords remain hidden. ⚙️ Common Algorithms:
✨ MD5 (Message Digest 5): An older algorithm, now considered insecure due to collision vulnerabilities. 🔒 SHA-1 (Secure Hash Algorithm 1): Similar to MD5, also deprecated for password hashing. 💪 SHA-2 (Secure Hash Algorithm 2): A family of hash functions (SHA-256, SHA-512), more secure than MD5 and SHA-1. 🌶️ SHA-3 (Secure Hash Algorithm 3): The latest version of SHA, offering improved security features. 🧂 Bcrypt: A key derivation function specifically designed for password hashing; includes salting. 🔑 Argon2: A modern hashing algorithm that won the Password Hashing Competition; resistant to various attacks.
🧂 Salting: Adding a unique, random string to each password before hashing to prevent rainbow table attacks. 🔁 Key Stretching: Repeating the hashing process multiple times to increase the computational cost and slow down brute-force attacks.

Practice Quiz

1. Which of the following hashing algorithms is now considered insecure for password storage due to collision vulnerabilities?
   1. MD5
   2. SHA-256
   3. Bcrypt
   4. Argon2
2. What is the primary purpose of salting passwords before hashing?
   1. To increase the speed of the hashing process.
   2. To prevent rainbow table attacks.
   3. To reduce the size of the hash.
   4. To make the password easier to remember.
3. Which hashing algorithm is a key derivation function that includes salting and is specifically designed for password hashing?
   1. SHA-1
   2. MD5
   3. Bcrypt
   4. SHA-256
4. What is key stretching, in the context of password hashing?
   1. A method to shorten the length of the hash.
   2. Repeating the hashing process multiple times.
   3. Adding salt to the password.
   4. Removing complexity requirements for passwords.
5. Which of the following is a member of the SHA-2 family of hash functions?
   1. SHA-128
   2. SHA-256
   3. SHA-3
   4. MD4
6. Which modern hashing algorithm won the Password Hashing Competition and is resistant to various attacks?
   1. MD5
   2. SHA-1
   3. Argon2
   4. Bcrypt
7. Which of the following hashing algorithms is the latest version of SHA, offering improved security features over its predecessors?
   1. SHA-1
   2. SHA-2
   3. SHA-3
   4. MD5