README.md

Overview

THIS IS WORK IN PROGRESS!!

Hasher is a customizable hashing tool implemented in Python. It allows users to hash various data types such as strings, integers, floats, lists, dictionaries, bytes, and even files with a standalone, configurable hashing algorithm. It offers additional security features such as configurable rounds, block sizes, and hash lengths, as well as optional salt and pepper for each hash.

Features

• Supports hashing of multiple data types: str, int, float, list, dict, tuple, bytes, and files.
• Customizable parameters:
  • rounds: Number of rounds for the hashing process.
  • block_size: Size of the data blocks used for hashing.
  • hash_length: Length of the final hash output.
  • salt: Optional salt to add randomness to the hash.
  • pepper: An additional user-defined key that acts as a second salt.
• Provides both base64 and hex output formats.
• Standalone script that does not depend on external libraries like hashlib or hmac.

Installation

Simply download or clone this repository. No additional libraries are required.

Usage

Import and Initialize

from configurable_hasher import ConfigurableHasher

# Initialize the hasher with custom parameters
hasher = ConfigurableHasher(
    rounds=100,
    block_size=512,
    hash_length=256,
    salt="custom_salt",
    pepper="extra_secret_pepper",
    output_format="base64"
)

Hashing Data

# Hash a string
data = "hello world"
hash_value = hasher.hash(data)
print(f"Hash of '{data}': {hash_value}")

# Hash an integer
integer_data = 12345
integer_hash = hasher.hash(integer_data)
print(f"Hash of {integer_data}: {integer_hash}")

# Hash a file
file_path = "example.txt"
file_hash = hasher.hash_file(file_path)
print(f"Hash of file '{file_path}': {file_hash}")

Validating Hashes

To ensure the integrity of a hashed item, use the validate or validate_file method to compare the computed hash with an existing hash.

# Validate a string hash
is_valid = hasher.validate(data, hash_value)
print(f"Is the hash valid? {is_valid}")

# Validate a file hash
is_file_valid = hasher.validate_file(file_path, file_hash)
print(f"Is the file hash valid? {is_file_valid}")

Example Use Cases

• Data Integrity Verification: Use this tool to verify if data has been altered by comparing the hash before and after.
• Password Storage: Store passwords as salted and hashed strings for enhanced security.
• File Change Detection: Monitor changes in files by hashing their content and comparing it with stored hash values.

Parameters

The following parameters can be configured in the ConfigurableHasher class:

• rounds (int): Number of rounds to use in the hashing algorithm. Minimum is 64.
• block_size (int): Size of the data blocks for hashing in bits, must be between 128 and 2048. Adjusted to be a multiple of 64.
• hash_length (int): Length of the final hash output in bits, up to 512.
• salt (Any): Optional salt for the hash. Accepts str, int, float, list, dict, tuple, and bytes. It is converted to bytes and truncated/padded to 16 bytes.
• pepper (Any): Optional pepper for the hash. Accepts the same types as salt, converted to bytes and truncated/padded to 16 bytes.
• output_format (str): Output format of the hash, either 'hex' or 'base64'.

Supported Data Types

The hash method accepts a variety of data types:

• str: String data.
• int: Integer data (signed and unsigned).
• float: Floating-point numbers.
• list: Lists containing any of the supported data types.
• dict: Dictionaries with string keys and supported data types as values.
• tuple: Tuples containing any of the supported data types.
• bytes: Raw byte data.

Limitations

• Integer Size: Integers are constrained by the block_size to prevent overflow errors. The maximum size is capped based on the block size in bits.
• File Size: The maximum file size is limited by the available memory, as the file is processed in blocks equal to block_size // 8.

Security Considerations

The ConfigurableHasher offers a flexible and customizable hashing approach, but it's important to understand the security limitations:

• This hashing implementation is not cryptographically secure compared to standard algorithms like SHA-256 or bcrypt.
• Suitable for data integrity checks or non-critical hashing needs, but not recommended for highly sensitive information such as password hashing in a production environment.
• Salting: The script allows for a fixed salt and pepper, making it easier to validate hashes but less secure than dynamic salting for each hash. Always use unique salts when possible for added security.