How does password hashing (Crypt::Argon2, bcrypt) interact with Unicode and encodings?

Password hashing is a critical aspect of securing user credentials in applications. When using libraries like Crypt::Argon2 or bcrypt in Perl, it's essential to understand how these methods interact with Unicode and different encodings.

Both Crypt::Argon2 and bcrypt are designed to handle binary data securely, which means they can work with different encodings, including UTF-8. However, when hashing passwords that may contain Unicode characters, you should ensure to use the correct encoding to prevent any unexpected behavior.

For instance, if a user enters a password with special Unicode characters, it should be encoded to UTF-8 before hashing. This prevents issues such as mismatches during the verification process.

Here is an example of how to properly hash a password using Crypt::Argon2 in Perl while handling Unicode:

use Crypt::Argon2; my $password = "P@ssw0rd!????"; # Example password with Unicode my $encoded_password = Encode::encode('UTF-8', $password); # Encode to UTF-8 my $hash = Crypt::Argon2::argon2id_pass($encoded_password, random_bytes(16), 2 ** 16, 2 ** 8); # To verify: if (Crypt::Argon2::argon2id_verify($hash, $encoded_password)) { print "Password is valid!"; } else { print "Invalid password."; }

Password Hashing Crypt::Argon2 bcrypt Unicode Encoding