Some passwords are stored using specialized encryption algorithms known as hashes. Why is this an appropriate method?

Question

Options

• AIt is impossible to crack hashed user passwords unless the key used to encrypt them is obtained.
• BIf a user forgets the password, it can be easily retrieved using the hash key stored by
• CHashing is faster compared to more traditional encryption algorithms.
• DPasswords stored using hashes are non-reversible, making finding the password much more

• A
  2% (1)
• C
  4% (2)
• D
  94% (47)

Explanation

Hashing is appropriate for password storage because it is a one-way function - given a hash output, you cannot mathematically reverse it to recover the original password. When a user logs in, the system hashes the entered password and compares it to the stored hash; the original password is never stored or transmitted. This means that even if an attacker obtains the hash database, they cannot directly reveal the passwords. Option A is incorrect because hashing does not use an encryption key - it is fundamentally different from symmetric/asymmetric encryption, which are reversible. Option B is incorrect because hashes cannot be 'reversed' to retrieve a forgotten password; systems must instead prompt users to reset their password. Option C may have some truth in certain contexts but is not the primary security rationale for using hashes to store passwords.

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