HashHack

Inspiration

There I was, hunched over my laptop at 2AM when divine inspiration hit me. In my sleep-deprived state I had entered in the wrong password in the "confirm password" box for the fourth time in a row. In my sleepy-stupor I grumbled at my computer, who was just doing its job,

"Incorrect password... It's my password, I know it's correct. I'm not an imposter, just let me in! What do you know anyways, dumb computer, you don't know my passwords..."

I paused for a moment... surely it did have to know my passwords, or else how was I ever able to get into my accounts?! That's when the idea of HashHack hit me. I wanted to learn how passwords were stored and secure, so why not make my project out of it!

I've wanted to go into cybersecurity for awhile now and I figured why not try my hand at a simple Python project using some cybersecurity concepts? I chose Python because it is simple and widely used in cybersecurity, so I was happy to get some experience in it.

Also I wanted to call myself a hacker, even for just a day.

What it does

This code right here is a piece of machine magic. It's a mind reading machine that can crack the passwords of anyone! Anyone who uses bad passwords, that is. But, as a humble and generous woman, I decided to bestow that knowledge unto others. Weep not, for you too can learn the ways of hash hacking.

This comprehensive collection of condensed and concise colorful code explains to the user what hashes are, and then takes them on a demo of the three most common hashing methods.

It individually explains hashing methods in an interactive way, and shows how passwords can be found using brute force attacks. In HashHack v2.0, I will implement AI so the program will even ask you about your day. So thoughtful!

How I built it

Python, Google, and a whole lot of patience. And love <3.

I started HashHack as a more personal learning project, mostly to see how different hashing methods worked and what outputs they gave. Then I stopped being so selfish and decided to give back to every wonderful person who also wanted to learn about hashes! (or whoever would be forced to judge this).

As I worked, it evolved into the glorious teaching tool that it grew up to be, and I am so proud of my child.

Conveniently, other people must like hashes too and decided to make some Python libraries for it, which made my life very easy.

Challenges I ran into

I don't pretend to be a programmer, so given my lack of hardware to use instead, I expected this project to crash and burn. Boy was I wrong! Look at this thing! It's glorious!

Starting out, I didn't know anything so I was just running around in a room full of purple Google links. Eventually, I gained more knowledge and resolved any errors or glitches that I had.

The two main factors that almost spelled my defeat were time and fatigue. I frantically ticked and tapped at my keyboard, looking at the clock periodically, watching time fly by. My eyes demanded rest, and my fingers refused to respond. But I pressed on! This project was too important to waste time doing menial tasks like "sleeping" and "eating". NO! I MUST TEACH THE MASSES ABOUT HASHES!!!

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I DID IT! I fully expected to give up halfway through and further my stance of hating coding. But I loved this and the concept and I'm so happy I took the time to learn this and commit to the project. I did my first Hackathon and I did it solo!

I'm gonna print out my code and pin it on my fridge :)

What I learned

During this project, I learned how to love. I didn't think I would ever feel about anything the way I feel about HashHack. Its functions, its inputs, its dark theme (client-side, but still counts). It is pure perfection.

HashHack has taught me so much, it's funny to think that we just met yesterday. Ah man, the good ole days, back when they only had three lines of code and was still on light theme. Hah! HashHack has taught me about hashes in such a deep and personal way that I'd swear that I was a hash if I didn't know any better!

Good thing I'm not a hash though because brute force attacks would be scary. Imagine being compared to so many other inputs all the time, it can't be good for mental health...

They also taught me about their home, Python. Such a beautiful, simple place. Much nicer than other places I've been like Java, or worse C++ (shivers). Working in Python is so nice, it is laid out so simply and has so many tools ready to be used, I don't know how I was ever anywhere else!

What's next for HashHack

Please. Just a drop of GUI. I beg you. I love HashHack, but my eyes hurt from looking at it.

Built With

• love
• python