What is password hashing?

Password hashing is the process of converting a plaintext password into a fixed-length, irreversible string of characters that is nearly impossible to reverse engineer. This technique is commonly used to securely store user passwords in databases, making it more difficult for attackers to steal or misuse them.

Hashing helps protect users' privacy by ensuring that their actual passwords are not stored in plain text, but instead are transformed into a hash.

How it works?

When a user creates an account and chooses a password, the password is hashed using a strong, one-way hashing algorithm. This means that the resulting hash cannot be used to reverse-engineer the original password.

When the user logs in, the password they enter is hashed using the same algorithm, and the resulting hash is compared to the hash that is stored in the database. If the two hashes match, the user is authenticated and granted access.

The benefits of password storage using hashing are that it helps to protect user passwords from being compromised in the event of a data breach, and also helps to prevent unauthorized access to user accounts.

Where is it used?

Password storage using hashing is used in many different systems and applications to securely store user passwords and protect user accounts and sensitive data. This includes online services, enterprise applications, mobile apps, operating systems, and network devices.

Password storage using hashing is used in Facebook, Dropbox, Microsoft Windows, Cisco routers, WordPress and many other systems and applications to protect user passwords and prevent unauthorized access to user accounts and sensitive data.