Hashing

Hashing is the process of calculating a fixed length value from another value, such as a string. A value is passed into a Hash Function and the function returns a Hash Value. This process is used in cryptography. Rather than storing a 'secret' (such as a password) as plain text, it's hash value is calculated and stored in it's place. Therefore, if the storage database was compromised and an attacker could see the stored passwords, they wouldn't know their actual value - only the hash. It is intentionally difficult to reverse the hashing process without the original parameters and function used to create it.

Hashing is also used for storing large quantities of data in a hashing table. The data is converted to an integer hash, which is then used to 'search' the table to fetch the relevant data. This has the advantage that finding an integer from a list of integers is much faster than searching for a string within a list of strings.

Collisions

Collisions occur when two values, when entered into the same hashing function, return the same hash value. These are inevitable when dealing with huge quantities of values no matter how complex the function. The creator can take steps to reduce the number of collisions that will occur but they are impossible to prevent.

Example

PHP's crypt() function is a hashing function that supports multiple methods & standards, designed for password cryptography. They use a salt, which is additional data that is added to the value to be hashed in order to make it longer and more complex.

From PHP.net Manual on crypt:

1 echo 'SHA-512: ' . crypt('rasmuslerdorf', '$6$rounds=5000$usesomesillystringforsalt$') . "<br>";
2 Output: SHA-512: $6$rounds=5000$usesomesillystri$D4IrlXatmP7rx3P3InaxBeoomnAihCKRVQP22JZ6EY47Wc6BkroIuUUBOov1i.S5KPgErtP/EN5mcO.ChWQW21

The function hashes 'rasmuslerdorf' (creator of PHP) and outputs it, using the salt '$6$rounds=5000$usesomesillystringforsalt$'.