Reversible One-Way Hash

Description

This weakness is especially dangerous when the hash is used in security algorithms that require the one-way property to hold. For example, if an authentication system takes an incoming password and generates a hash, then compares the hash to another hash that it has stored in its authentication database, then the ability to create a collision could allow an attacker to provide an alternate password that produces the same target hash, bypassing authentication.

Demonstrations

The following examples help to illustrate the nature of this weakness and describe methods or techniques which can be used to mitigate the risk.

Note that the examples here are by no means exhaustive and any given weakness may have many subtle varieties, each of which may require different detection methods or runtime controls.

Example One

In both of these examples, a user is logged in if their given password matches a stored password:

unsigned char *check_passwd(char *plaintext) {
  ctext = simple_digest("sha1",plaintext,strlen(plaintext), ... );
  //Login if hash matches stored hash
  if (equal(ctext, secret_password())) {
    login_user();
  }
}

String plainText = new String(plainTextIn);
MessageDigest encer = MessageDigest.getInstance("SHA");
encer.update(plainTextIn);
byte[] digest = password.digest();
//Login if hash matches stored hash
if (equal(digest,secret_password())) {
  login_user();
}

This code uses the SHA-1 hash on user passwords, but the SHA-1 algorithm is no longer considered secure. Note this code also exhibits CWE-759 (Use of a One-Way Hash without a Salt).

See Also