Password Hashing – What is It? Why is it Important?

What is password hashing? How does it help prevent data breaches and hacking in huge and small companies? Are hashed passwords important? This guide explains everything about why password hashing is important, how it works, and the right kind of functions to choose. Let’s get started. 

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What is Password Hashing?

Password hashing is a method used to secure saved passwords by transforming them into a scrambled, fixed-length string through a mathematical formula. Rather than keeping the original password, systems store this encoded version, which is extremely difficult to decode back into its original form. This can make your data extra secure, preventing any unauthorized access to your actual passwords. 

How Does Password Hashing Work?

Password hashing is one of the best tried and tested security measures that transforms the way you secure passwords. It converts them using an irreversible and unidentifiable string of characters. These characters are called a hash. The purpose of this process is to limit weak access points where hackers can attack your original password. This means that even if the attackers somehow penetrate the database, they can’t get to the real thing. Only the authorized user can sign in using a hashed password, which is then compared to the stored hash, allowing entry only if it matches. 

Here’s the breakdown of how it works: 

Starting the Hashing Process

The hashing process begins with the password hashing algorithm. A few of these include SHA-256 or bcrypt. This stores the users’ password input and converts it into a long, strong string of jumbled characters. This conversion is called the hash. When this happens, the hash is irreversible. However, if it needs to be changed, the password will be hashed with a completely different string of characters. 

How the Hashes Are Stored

Websites and apps avoid saving passwords in plain text by storing their hashed versions in the database instead. This way, even if the database is breached, attackers only obtain the hashed data, not the actual passwords, helping to keep user credentials secure.

Requirement for Login Verification

After the hashes are stored, each time a user tries to sign in, the app hashes it with the help of the same algorithm. That hash is then compared with the stored hash present in the database. The user will only get access if the password they entered matches the hash in the system. 

The Salting Process

After all the hashing, the last and slightly more sure way of securing the password hashing process is called salting. It’s a process to further add security for your hashed passwords, meaning added to the codes before they’re sent for the hashing process. This makes it very difficult for hackers to crack your passwords. 

Password Hashing Key Features

Here are the key features of password hashing:

• Hashed passwords are like a one-way encrypted form. Once they are hashed, you cannot reverse them. 
• Has secure algorithms but fast computations to slow down brute-force attacks.
• The hash characters are always the same length, even if your passwords are long or short. For example, SHA-256 and 256-bit)
• Produces the same hashes for input passwords for smoother verifications. 
• Supports the salting process to prevent identical hashing of passwords. 

Is it Important to Use Password Hashing?

Yes, it is. Here are a few reasons why you would need to implement hashed passwords: 

• It secures your passwords by adding protection against data breaches. 
• Eliminates the possibility of password theft.
• Allows better and more secure login verifications. 
• Secures the hashed passwords to prevent the compromise of reused passwords.
• It is one of the best practices and compliances for high password security standards. 

Does Hashing Passwords Require Salting?

Yes, salting is an essential process to strengthen the password hashing process. Each cryptographic salt is comprised of random characteristics. These are then added to each password before it is hashed. The reason for its importance is that it creates unique hashes even if multiple users create the same passwords. Salting overall helps create attacks, forcing attackers to deviate. 

Common Password Hashing Algorithms

The most commonly used password hashing algorithms are: 

• Argon2 – is considered one of the most recommended and best password hashing algorithms and is highly configurable. 
• Bcrypt – best for password hashing with built-in salting functionality.
• SHA-256 – perfect for quick hashing, but not too ideal, considering salting isn’t included by default. 
• PBKDF2 – utilizes key-stretching techniques to prolong the hashing time. However, even though it’s secure, it’s much slower and prone to GPU attacks.  
• MD5 / SHA-1 – it’s one of the most common password hashing algorithms, but it is not recommended. This version is outdated and comes with many vulnerabilities. 

Is Password Hashing the Same as Encryption?

No, they are two completely different things. Here are the main differences: 

To Conclude

And that’s a wrap! You now understand what password hashing is, how it works, and the importance of it for securing passwords. However, other than this, you need to understand the importance of strong passwords. There are still vulnerabilities if you use the hashing process for weak passwords. You can always use the FastestPass app to help generate the best and most secure passwords for all your media accounts and more.