Hash Identifier & Analyzer

Identify and analyze hash types from hash strings. Supports MD5, SHA-1, SHA-2, SHA-3, bcrypt, Argon2, scrypt, PBKDF2, and more. Analyzes hash format, length, and characteristics to determine the most likely hashing algorithm used.

Supports MD5, SHA-1, SHA-2, SHA-3, BLAKE2/BLAKE3, bcrypt, Argon2, scrypt, PBKDF2 (raw & structured), HMAC variants, CRC32, RIPEMD-160, Whirlpool, and more

How Hash Identification Works

  • • Length Analysis: Different algorithms produce different output lengths
  • • Format Recognition: Structured hashes (bcrypt, Argon2, PBKDF2) have distinctive formats
  • • Pattern Matching: Character patterns help distinguish between algorithms
  • • Confidence Levels: Higher confidence when format is unique to one algorithm
  • • Multiple Matches: Some lengths match multiple algorithms (disambiguation needed)
  • • PBKDF2 Detection: Identifies both raw output and structured formats

Supported Hash Types

Simple Hashes:

  • • MD5 (32 chars) - deprecated
  • • SHA-1 (40 chars) - deprecated
  • • SHA-224 (56 chars)
  • • SHA-256 (64 chars)
  • • SHA-384 (96 chars)
  • • SHA-512 (128 chars)
  • • SHA-3 / Keccak variants
  • • RIPEMD-160 (40 chars)

Password Hashes:

  • • bcrypt ($2a$, $2b$, $2y$)
  • • Argon2 ($argon2i$, $argon2d$, $argon2id$)
  • • scrypt ($scrypt$)
  • • PBKDF2 structured (pbkdf2_*)
  • • PBKDF2 raw output (all lengths)
  • • HMAC variants

Modern Alternatives:

  • • BLAKE2b (128 chars default)
  • • BLAKE2s (64 chars default)
  • • BLAKE3 (64 chars default)
  • • Whirlpool (128 chars)

Checksums:

  • • CRC32 (8 chars) - data integrity
  • • Adler-32 (8 chars) - data integrity
  • • Non-cryptographic verification
  • • File integrity checking

🔍 PBKDF2 Detection Guide

Structured Format: pbkdf2_sha256$600000$salt$hash
✅ High confidence - contains all parameters
Raw Format: dc6b010b812eff177de660a490f6f3156b81c9063c4a7eea114cb485090ef296
⚠️ Low confidence - indistinguishable from other algorithms
Common PBKDF2 Key Lengths: 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 48, 64 bytes (32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 96, 128 hex chars)
Context Clues: Modern applications, authentication systems, password storage

Important Notes

  • • Raw Hash Limitation: Cannot distinguish between algorithms with same output length
  • • Deprecated Algorithms: MD5 and SHA-1 are cryptographically broken - avoid for new systems
  • • PBKDF2 Raw Output: Looks identical to SHA-256, SHA-512, BLAKE variants, etc.
  • • Context Matters: Use application context, file extensions, or documentation to confirm identification
  • • Verification Method: Try PBKDF2 verification with known parameters to confirm
  • • Modern Systems: If hash is from recent application, prefer modern algorithms over legacy ones
  • • Security: Never attempt to reverse or crack hashes without proper authorization

Algorithm Categories & Use Cases

🔐 Password Hashing: Argon2, bcrypt, scrypt, PBKDF2 - designed to be slow and secure
🏃‍♂️ Fast Hashing: BLAKE2, BLAKE3 - modern, fast, secure alternatives to SHA-2
📊 Data Integrity: CRC32, Adler-32 - non-cryptographic checksums for error detection
🏛️ Legacy Systems: MD5, SHA-1, RIPEMD-160 - older algorithms, some deprecated
🔒 Cryptographic: SHA-2, SHA-3 - secure general-purpose cryptographic hashing
🔑 Key Derivation: HMAC variants, PBKDF2 - for generating keys from passwords/secrets

💡 Identification Tips

File Extensions: .md5, .sha1, .sha256 files often indicate the hash type
Application Context: Django uses PBKDF2, bcrypt common in Ruby, Argon2 in modern apps
Length Patterns: 8 chars = checksums, 32 = MD5/128-bit, 40 = SHA-1/160-bit, 64 = SHA-256/256-bit
Structured Formats: Look for $ delimiters in password hashes (bcrypt, Argon2, PBKDF2)
Performance Clues: Very fast generation suggests simple hash, slow suggests password hash
Modern Systems: Recent applications likely use SHA-2+, BLAKE variants, or proper password hashes

About Hash Identifier & Analyzer

The Hash Identifier & Analyzer is a comprehensive forensic tool that automatically identifies and analyzes hash types from hash strings. It supports detection of all major hashing algorithms including MD5, SHA-1, SHA-2 family, SHA-3, bcrypt, Argon2, scrypt, PBKDF2, and many others by analyzing hash format, length, character patterns, and structural characteristics to determine the most likely algorithm used.

Why use a Hash Identifier & Analyzer?

Hash identification is crucial for security analysis, forensic investigations, and system migrations where you need to understand what hashing algorithms are being used without access to source code or documentation. This tool eliminates guesswork by providing automated analysis and saves valuable time in security assessments, penetration testing, and reverse engineering tasks where hash type identification is essential.

Who is it for?

Essential for cybersecurity professionals conducting security audits, digital forensics investigators analyzing hash evidence, and penetration testers identifying authentication mechanisms. Perfect for security researchers studying hash implementations, system administrators migrating legacy systems, and developers working with inherited codebases where hash algorithms need to be identified.

How to use the tool

  1. Paste the unknown hash string into the input field for analysis
  2. Click analyze to run automatic hash type identification algorithms
  3. Review the analysis results showing possible hash types ranked by probability
  4. Examine detailed information about hash characteristics, format, and algorithm properties
  5. Use the identification results to select appropriate tools for hash generation or verification

Share This Tool

Found this tool helpful? Share it with others who might benefit from it!

💡 Help others discover useful tools! Sharing helps us keep these tools free and accessible to everyone.

Support This Project

☕ Buy Me a Coffee