There are a lot of debates going on about storing passwords securely.  As a concerned web developer, you must see to it that the passwords are stored properly.  One of the best ways to do this is to store hashes instead of storing passwords in plain text.  This can guarantee that an attacker will not be able to recover the passwords quickly if ever the password files will be stolen.  By salting hashed password files, there are more guarantees that it will be harder to break.  Hashing should be done a lot of times since advanced computers can now perform hashing operations instantly.

First, web developers must assume that in one way or another, intruders will access these passwords.  After accepting this reality then you have to guarantee that the damage being done is not huge.  Hashed are functions that will be able to produce representations of the data, which is usually in the form of numbers.  They usually produce similar hash from the similar data and there is no other way of reversing the procedure.  This is very useful when storing passwords.  Instead of storing actual passwords, you can save the hashed passwords.  There are several hashing programs that you can use and the most common ones are MD5 and SHA1.

Is hashing secure?  Some people suggest that in order to make it more secure, you can do a nest of hashes.  But the best solution would be by salting the passwords.  In order to make it more secure, you have to hash more aside from the password.  This type of procedure is also known as salting.  For instance, you can hash the password plus the email address and store them together.  Aside from using strong password, adding complexity can also guarantee that your data will not be easily exposed.

When choosing passwords, you should observe some precautions.  For instance, never use a password that comes from the dictionary.  It is not also advisable to use the same password several times.

Credit card information is very sensitive and should be protected.  But what can thieves steal if the information is not there.  This is the main idea of tokenization.  When you pay online or use point-of-sale terminals, the data on your credit card will not be stored instead it will be store-generated numbers otherwise known as tokens.  The process will continue but the main difference is you are using an assumed name.  Your credit card data will never be stored anywhere.  That is why; it would be impossible for hackers to generate your password through decryption or any reverse programs.

If hackers attempt to penetrate on the merchant's databases then they will get nothing but worthless tokens.  The only place where your credit card information will be found is at the facility of the provider that manages the tokenization program.  If ever intruders attempt to hack into their databases then what they will get are scrambled numbers distributed on several locations.

There are still other ways that you can secure your passwords or credit card information.  You just need to do some research to get more information.  Always keep in mind that unnecessary stress and harassment can be avoided if you practice proper precaution.  Keep the above tips in mind, so that you can fight crime and prevent yourself from becoming a victim.