How to Decrypt MD5 Password in PHP

In the web development world, security is important, especially when it comes to password protection. Hashing is a popular password security technique that converts passwords into an unreadable format, making it harder for hackers to steal. MD5 is a commonly used hash algorithm in PHP to make passwords more secure. However, decrypting MD5 passwords requires certain conditions, such as if any user forgot the password.

In this article, we will examine the process of decrypting MD5 passwords in PHP and provide a step-by-step guide on how to do it safely and effectively.

How to Decrypt MD5 Password in PHP

Decrypting the MD5 password in PHP can be done through the MD5() function and the steps to act are given below:

Step 1: Get Hashed Password

First, you must have an MD5 hashed password to recover, as shown below:

$hashed_password = '5f4dcc3b5aa765d61d8327deb882cf99';

In the above example, hashed data (‘5f4dcc3b5aa765d61d8327deb882cf99’) is assigned to the $hashed_password variable.

Step 2: Create a List of Possible Passwords

Then you can use text or a tool to generate a list of possible passwords. This list may include common passwords, translations, and variations of old passwords.

$password_list = array('password', 'admin', '123456');

Step 3: Hash Every Password in the List

After that, hash every password in the list using the MD5 hashing algorithm or loop through the list using for-each loop.

foreach($password_list as $password) {
$hashed_guess = md5($password);
if ($hashed_guess == $hashed_password) {
echo "Password is: " . $password;
break;
}

Here is a full example of PHP code that demonstrates how to decrypt a password using MD5() function:

<?php
$hashed_password = '5f4dcc3b5aa765d61d8327deb882cf99';
$password_list = array('password', 'admin', '123456');

foreach($password_list as $password) {
$hashed_guess = md5($password);
if ($hashed_guess == $hashed_password) {
echo "Password is: " . $password;
break;
}
}
?>

Here is another simple example that uses the MD5() function to decrypt the hash value of the string “linux”.

<?php
$string = 'linux';
if(md5($string) =='e206a54e97690cce50cc872dd70ee896'){
echo "linux";
}
else {
echo "look for the error";
}
?>

Note: To generate a hash value for the string, you can use the MD5() function given below:

<?php
$string = 'linux';
$hash = md5($string);
echo $hash;
?>

Conclusion

In this guide, we discussed how to protect passwords from hackers using hash algorithms like MD5 in PHP. If you forget your password, you can recover it by creating a list of possible passwords and checking each one with the MD5() function until you find the correct password.

About the author

Awais Khan

I'm an Engineer and an academic researcher by profession. My interest for Raspberry Pi, embedded systems and blogging has brought me here to share my knowledge with others.

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