MD5 Hash Converter

How MD5 Works: A Complete Guide

MD5 Hash: Message Digest 5 hash is a standard cryptographic encryption algorithm that produces a fixed-size output (128-bits), which is typically rendered as hexadecimal number to make it easier for humans. As seen in the example above, it can take an input of up to 264 bits and produce a unique digital fingerprint that has various applications for security. It also has been stated as totally unsafe way back in the 1990s so even if it was widely supported.Learn more about MD5 from NIST

MD5 Encryption Algorithm History and development

MD5 was created in 1991 as a replacement for the MD4 algorithm, which also generated 128-bit hash values but became immediately flawed from security perspectives. In contrast, MD5 tried to provide a more secure alternative. However, in 1996, the algorithm’s collision vulnerabilities emerged, showing that two separate inputs could demonstrate the same hash value. The new findings reinforced in 2004 determined that MD5 should not be used for many cryptographic applications, as it is not a collision-resistant design.See the history of MD5 on Wikipedia

MD5 Encryption Applications and Limitations

While MD5 is considered to be cryptographically broken, its partial use in various non-critical functions continue this popularity. To this day, many webmasters still unsuspecting of the weaknesses within MD5 continue to use it for various purposes. Here is a simple example that illustrates using different MD5 outputs for various inputs. Password: dc647eb65e6711e155375218212b3964 - password: 5f4dcc3b5aa765d61d8327deb882cf99Read more about MD5’s weaknesses on OWASP

Why MD5 Cannot Be Decrypted

MD5 (Message-Digest algorithm 5) is a widely-used cryptographic hash function producing a 128-bit hash value which can be treated as an actual detection for the original input. This property makes it very handy to hash the passwords securely, as one can not get a password back from its hash. Upon each login, the password entered by a user is hashed and checked against an existing hash.Understand MD5 hashing from the US-CERT

How to "Decrypt" MD5 Hashes

The phrase "decrypt MD5" is not quite accurate, as hashing works in only one direction. Instead, when reversing the MD5 hash to find the original input content it means comparing your hashed value against one of a big list (precomputed database) that contains such kind hashes with their corresponding inputs. These databases are massive (containing the precomputed hashes of billions of probable passwords) but once created, a quick lookup in most cases will bring you an answer immediately. If it is present in their records, then tools/services like, Hashcat and Cedian etc will help to find the original input.

Better Algorithms and Salting

Due to the vulnerabilities of MD5, it is important that you supplement security: Salting: Preappend each password with a unique, random sequence (salt) makes pre-computed hash database attacks unviable. As an example, if we salt the MD5 hash of "Password" with: plaintext Salt: 4*;df-A4+#1q:eD7 Composite: 4*;df-A4+#1q:eD7dc647eb65e6711e155375218212b3964 Hash: 7ff41d989745f57784e50d3e1630490a Learn more about salting from OWASPPeppering: Something you do in addition to salting; a pepper is an additional static, secret string that exists for all users and remains unchanged. Using faster Algorithms: Even the likes of Bcrypt, Argon2, and PBKDF2 are designed to be computationally expensive, which explains Borgars's unjustifiable claim. These also include automatic salting to the algorithms.

MD5 Encrypt Online Services

You can use one of many available tools online to encrypt your input into MD5 hash. Online tools for checksum/MD5 encryptionThese are useful if you only want to do one-time quick checks and/or doing simple applications as they can not be inserted directly from the server due to security errors. But for the more security wise there are highly recommended to go with a stronger hashing algorithms. Check out some MD5 encryption tools on CyberChef