Preface

In this book you will learn how to create strong and secure hashes to protect sensitive passwords and keys.

With the evolution of technology and communications, there is a lot of information flowing everywhere. Since passwords keep our sensitive data secure, password security has become a critical issue, now more than ever, especially with so many malicious hackers trying to take advantage.

There is no such thing as a fully secure web application, there’s always a flaw somewhere waiting to be patched—or exploited. However, there is a well-tested technique that allows us to create a last barrier against intrusions: hashing. By hashing our passwords properly, we can protect our users from hackers. This makes it very hard (almost impossible) for hackers to gain access to their accounts. This technique and some useful hints will be covered in this book.

What this book covers

Creating a simple hash teaches you how to create a basic hash code and how it works.

Creating a strong hash shows you how to create strong hashes using cryptographic secure hash algorithms.

Adding salt to a hash shows the proper use of a salt in order to strengthen the password protection.

Creating a secure hash will teach you how to create the strongest possible hash to provide maximum security to passwords.

The Overview section gives a high level overview to round up the whole authentication process.

What you need for this book

The following are the software needed for this book:

• Java Development Kit 1.5 or greater

• Your preferred integrated development environment (Eclipse, NetBeans, and so on)

Who this book is for

This book is targeted for a wide range of people, from people with basic Java knowledge to Java experts. It’s assumed that you have some experience in Java and you are interested in learning how to protect your user’s information. Even experienced developers must be educated in security in order to write secure applications.

Conventions

In this book, you will find a number of styles of text that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles, and an explanation of their meaning.

Code words in text are shown as follows: “ Put the password in the MessageDigest.”

Note

Warnings or important notes appear in a box like this.

Tip

Tips and tricks appear like this.

Reader feedback

Feedback from our readers is always welcome. Let us know what you think about this book—what you liked or may have disliked. Reader feedback is important for us to develop titles that you really get the most out of.

To send us general feedback, simply send an e-mail to <[e-mail]>, and mention the book title via the subject of your message.

If there is a topic that you have expertise in and you are interested in either writing or contributing to a book, see our author guide on www.packtpub.com/authors.

Customer support

Now that you are the proud owner of a Packt book, we have a number of things to help you to get the most from your purchase.

Downloading the example code

You can download the example code files for all Packt books you have purchased from your account at http://www.packtpub.com. If you purchased this book elsewhere, you can visit http://www.packtpub.com/support and register to have the files e-mailed directly to you.

Errata

Although we have taken every care to ensure the accuracy of our content, mistakes do happen. If you find a mistake in one of our books—maybe a mistake in the text or the code—we would be grateful if you would report this to us. By doing so, you can save other readers from frustration and help us improve subsequent versions of this book. If you find any errata, please report them by visiting http://www.packtpub.com/submit-errata, selecting your book, clicking on the errata submission form link, and entering the details of your errata. Once your errata are verified, your submission will be accepted and the errata will be uploaded on our website, or added to any list of existing errata, under the Errata section of that title. Any existing errata can be viewed by selecting your title from http://www.packtpub.com/support.

Piracy

Piracy of copyright material on the Internet is an ongoing problem across all media. At Packt, we take the protection of our copyright and licenses very seriously. If you come across any illegal copies of our works, in any form, on the Internet, please provide us with the location address or website name immediately so that we can pursue a remedy.

Please contact us at <[e-mail]> with a link to the suspected pirated material.

We appreciate your help in protecting our authors, and our ability to bring you valuable content.

Questions

You can contact us at <[e-mail]> if you are having a problem with any aspect of the book, and we will do our best to address it.