Password Hashing: bcrypt, Argon2, PBKDF2
Learn why plaintext storage is dangerous and how salted hashing protects passwords.
Why Not Store Passwords in Plaintext?
Storing passwords in plaintext is catastrophic — a single database breach exposes every account. Passwords must be processed with a one-way function before storage so that even database access doesn't reveal the original password.
What is Hashing?
A hash function converts input of any length into a fixed-length output. The same input always produces the same output, but the original cannot be recovered from the hash. Examples: SHA-256, bcrypt, Argon2.
All lessons in this course
- Password Strength and Policies
- Password Hashing: bcrypt, Argon2, PBKDF2
- Multi-Factor Authentication
- Credential Stuffing and Password Spraying