Usage of weak hashing library on a password (MD5)

• Rule ID: ruby_lang_weak_password_hash_md
• Languages: ruby
• Source: weak_password_hash_md.yml

Description

Using a weak hashing library like MD5 for password storage compromises security. MD5 is outdated and vulnerable, making it easier for attackers to crack passwords and gain unauthorized access.

Remediations

• Do not use MD5 or similar weak hashing algorithms for password storage. These methods are no longer secure and significantly increase the risk of your data being compromised.
• Do use strong, recommended hashing libraries such as bcrypt or Argon2id for storing passwords. These libraries provide a higher level of security and are designed to protect against common attack vectors.

  BCrypt::Password.create("password_123")

  hasher = Argon2::Password.new()
  hasher.create("password_123")

References

• OWASP Password Storage Cheat Sheet
• BCrypt Explained
• ruby-argon2

Associated CWE

• CWE-326: Inadequate Encryption Strength

OWASP Top 10

• A02:2021 - Cryptographic Failures

Configuration

To skip this rule during a scan, use the following flag

bearer scan /path/to/your-project/ --skip-rule=ruby_lang_weak_password_hash_md

To run only this rule during a scan, use the following flag

bearer scan /path/to/your-project/ --only-rule=ruby_lang_weak_password_hash_md