2007-02-19 06:28:43 · 2 answers · asked by peter s 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Programming & Design
Hashing variables is a way of keeping them secure if the server is compromised. For example, if you store passwords in a MySQL database and a hacker gains access to your database server, he can just open the users table and look at everyone's passwords. Since most people use the same password for different things, the hacker now has passwords and e-mail addresses for all your users. But if they are hashed, he can't really do anything with them except change them on your own site - your users are still protected.
That is just one example - there are many situations in which hashing is useful, almost all of them being security.
2007-02-19 06:31:27 · answer #1 · answered by Rex M 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They are server side, but if you crash the PHP module it will send the PHP code over to the client as plain text, hence why these variables are md5'd.
2007-02-19 07:00:51 · answer #2 · answered by Pfo 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋