Bcrypt

Definition

bcrypt is a password hashing function that incorporates a salt to protect against rainbow table attacks and uses an adaptive cost factor to increase the time required to hash passwords, making it more resistant to brute-force attacks. This function is particularly useful in scenarios where security is paramount, as it enhances the protection of stored passwords in applications and databases.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. bcrypt automatically generates a salt for each password, which helps to ensure that even if two users have the same password, their hashes will be different.
2. The adaptive cost factor in bcrypt can be modified to increase the complexity of the hashing process, allowing developers to enhance security as technology advances.
3. bcrypt is designed to be slow, which mitigates the effectiveness of brute-force attacks by significantly increasing the time required to guess passwords.
4. This hashing function is widely used in modern web applications for securely storing user passwords and is supported by many programming languages through libraries and APIs.
5. When a password is hashed with bcrypt, it produces a string that includes the algorithm version, cost factor, salt, and hash all in one format, simplifying storage and retrieval.

Review Questions

• How does bcrypt improve password security compared to simpler hashing methods?
  • bcrypt improves password security by using a unique salt for each password and incorporating an adaptive cost factor. This makes it significantly more resistant to attacks such as rainbow tables and brute-force methods. Unlike simpler hashing methods that generate the same hash for identical passwords, bcrypt ensures that each user's password is stored uniquely, even if they choose the same password.
• Discuss how the adaptive cost factor in bcrypt can impact its implementation in real-world applications.
  • The adaptive cost factor in bcrypt allows developers to increase the complexity of the hashing process as computing power evolves. This means that over time, as hardware becomes faster and more efficient at breaking passwords, the cost factor can be raised to maintain a strong level of security. As a result, applications can remain secure against evolving threats without needing to overhaul their existing infrastructure or replace their hashing strategy.
• Evaluate the significance of salt in bcrypt's functionality and its role in enhancing password protection.
  • Salt plays a crucial role in bcrypt's functionality by ensuring that even identical passwords yield unique hashes. This significantly enhances password protection because it prevents attackers from using pre-computed tables, known as rainbow tables, to crack passwords. The inclusion of salt means that attackers must perform additional computations for each password attempt, drastically increasing the time and resources required for successful brute-force attacks.

Related terms

Hash Function: A mathematical algorithm that transforms input data into a fixed-size string of characters, which appears random and is typically used for verifying data integrity.

Salt: Random data added to the input of a hash function to ensure that the output (hash) is unique even for identical inputs, preventing pre-computed attacks.

Adaptive Cost Factor: A variable that defines how computationally expensive a hashing function is, allowing it to be adjusted over time as hardware improves, ensuring continued security.