Why is the quality of the algorithm important in password hashing?

The quality of the algorithm used in password hashing is crucial because it significantly influences the execution time during password verification. A well-designed hashing algorithm should balance security and performance. If the algorithm is too fast, it may be vulnerable to brute-force attacks, as an attacker can attempt many password guesses in a short period. Conversely, a slower algorithm can enhance security by making it more time-consuming for attackers to check multiple passwords, thereby increasing the overall difficulty of cracking hashed passwords.

Furthermore, using a quality hashing algorithm that is resilient against known vulnerabilities makes it more challenging to reverse-engineer hashed passwords, which is vital for protecting user data. This aspect reinforces the importance of choosing a robust algorithm tailored for password hashing, such as bcrypt, Argon2, or PBKDF2, which not only focus on the correctness of hash generation but also on making verification computationally intensive enough to defend against attacks.