Why Shouldn't I Cleanse Passwords Before Hashing for Secure Storage?

Secure Password Storage in PHP: Why Skip Pre-Hash Cleansing?

PHP developers often consider "cleaning" passwords (using functions like escape_string(), htmlspecialchars(), or addslashes()) before storing them in a database. However, this practice is both unnecessary and potentially harmful when dealing with hashed passwords.

The Risks of Pre-Hash Cleansing

Pre-hash password cleansing adds complexity without improving security. Since hashed passwords are immune to SQL injection, these cleansing steps offer no security benefit.

Hashing: The Cornerstone of Password Security

Password hashing transforms passwords into encrypted strings suitable for database storage. Hash functions treat all input bytes equally, rendering pre-processing redundant.

Robust Password Protection

Allowing unrestricted password creation (length, character types) ensures the hashing process itself provides sufficient security, regardless of password content.

Sanitization's Negative Impact

Trimming, HTML encoding, or escaping passwords can cause inconsistencies when verifying passwords using password_verify(). To maintain verification accuracy, you'd need to consistently apply these same methods to user inputs, adding unnecessary complexity.

In Summary

Omit pre-hash password cleansing. Password hashing alone effectively safeguards stored passwords, eliminating the need for and potential problems of pre-processing.

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