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codeql/python/ql/src/Security/CWE-327/WeakSensitiveDataHashing.qhelp
Rasmus Wriedt Larsen 9156316b14 Python: Apply suggestions from code review
Co-authored-by: yoff <lerchedahl@gmail.com>
2021-05-18 11:53:11 +02:00

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<!DOCTYPE qhelp PUBLIC
"-//Semmle//qhelp//EN"
"qhelp.dtd">
<qhelp>
<overview>
<p>
Using a broken or weak cryptographic hash function can leave data
vulnerable, and should not be used in security related code.
</p>
<p>
A strong cryptographic hash function should be resistant to:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
pre-image attacks: if you know a hash value <code>h(x)</code>,
you should not be able to easily find the input <code>x</code>.
</li>
<li>
collision attacks: if you know a hash value <code>h(x)</code>,
you should not be able to easily find a different input <code>y</code>
with the same hash value <code>h(x) = h(y)</code>.
</li>
</ul>
<p>
In cases with a limited input space, such as for passwords, the hash
function also needs to be computationally expensive to be resistant to
brute-force attacks. Passwords should also have an unique salt applied
before hashing, but that is not considered by this query.
</p>
<p>
As an example, both MD5 and SHA-1 are known to be vulnerable to collision attacks.
</p>
<p>
Since it's OK to use a weak cryptographic hash function in a non-security
context, this query only alerts when these are used to hash sensitive
data (such as passwords, certificates, usernames).
</p>
<p>
Use of broken or weak cryptographic algorithms that are not hashing algorithms, is
handled by the <code>py/weak-cryptographic-algorithm</code> query.
</p>
</overview>
<recommendation>
<p>
Ensure that you use a strong, modern cryptographic hash function:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
such as Argon2, scrypt, bcrypt, or PBKDF2 for passwords and other data with limited input space.
</li>
<li>
such as SHA-2, or SHA-3 in other cases.
</li>
</ul>
</recommendation>
<example>
<p>
The following example shows two functions for checking whether the hash
of a certificate matches a known value -- to prevent tampering.
The first function uses MD5 that is known to be vulnerable to collision attacks.
The second function uses SHA-256 that is a strong cryptographic hashing function.
</p>
<sample src="examples/weak_certificate_hashing.py" />
</example>
<example>
<p>
The following example shows two functions for hashing passwords.
The first function uses SHA-256 to hash passwords. Although SHA-256 is a
strong cryptographic hash function, it is not suitable for password
hashing since it is not computationally expensive.
</p>
<sample src="examples/weak_password_hashing_bad.py" />
<p>
The second function uses Argon2 (through the <code>argon2-cffi</code>
PyPI package), which is a strong password hashing algorithm (and
includes a per-password salt by default).
</p>
<sample src="examples/weak_password_hashing_good.py" />
</example>
<references>
<li>OWASP: <a href="https://cheatsheetseries.owasp.org/cheatsheets/Password_Storage_Cheat_Sheet.html">Password Storage Cheat Sheet</a></li>
</references>
</qhelp>