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cybersecurity corner

Watch a password become a hash

Type anything and see its SHA-256 hash change completely when you change one letter.

What the website stores: SHA-256

  • One way only

    You can turn a password into a hash, but not a hash back into the password.

  • Same input, same hash

    At login the site hashes what you typed and compares. Match means you’re in.

  • Why “forgot password” resets

    The site never had your password, so it can’t show it. If one emails it to you, it’s unsafe.

Real sites use slow password hashes like bcrypt or Argon2 rather than plain SHA-256, so guessing takes far longer. The idea is the same.