Encryption source code with md5

Robert Kern robert.kern at gmail.com
Sun Apr 4 18:03:02 EDT 2010


On 2010-04-03 20:21 , Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:
> In message<4baf3ac4$0$22903$e4fe514c at news.xs4all.nl>, Irmen de Jong wrote:
>
>> On 28-3-2010 12:08, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:
>>
>>> Don’t use MD5.
>>
>> Also, md5 is not an encryption algorithm at all, it is a secure hashing
>> function.
>
> You can use hash functions for encryption.

You can *build* an encryption algorithm out of hash functions as a primitive, 
yes. Paul Rubin's p3.py is an example of using SHA-1 to build an encryption 
algorithm:

   http://www.nightsong.com/phr/crypto/p3.py

However, a hash function is not an encryption algorithm itself. One does not 
"encrypt with md5" as the OP asked. For crypto-knowledgeable people, this may 
just be an issue of terminology (although I think an important one), but I think 
it demonstrates the ignorance of the OP and the need for Irmen's clarification.

-- 
Robert Kern

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma
  that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had
  an underlying truth."
   -- Umberto Eco




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