CyberCertPrepSecurity FundamentalsCryptography FundamentalsEASYFree question
Why are passwords stored as hashes rather than in plaintext?
- A.Hashed passwords take up less storage space
- B.If the database is breached, attackers cannot directly read the actual passwords
- C.Hashing allows passwords to be shared between systems; a block cipher in ECB mode hides every pattern present in the plaintext
- D.Hashing makes passwords easier to recover
Why B is correct
Storing passwords as hashes means that even if an attacker gains access to the database, they see only the hash values, not the actual passwords. Since hash functions are one-way, the attacker cannot simply reverse the hash to get the original password.
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