Comment Re:Unstable (Score 1) 105
My fault, the version numbering system changed since 2.6.x (wikipedia before you post!). Anyway, I think the question is still valid.
- when you hash a telephone number, a rainbowtable is easily generated
That's where salts are useful. When you MD5 or SHA1, add a random-but-constant string at the beginning of the to-be-hashed string. Rainbow tables will be far mor difficult, if not impossible. Instead of MD5'ing "slashdot", MD5 "f8ds9a03421314159_$!1337_jc0wikislashdot".
Anyone can make an omelet with eggs. The trick is to make one with none.