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Possible Duplicate:
Is it possible to decrypt md5 hashes?

I accidentally encrypted some data with the md5 encryption. I need to recover it. How can I decrypt the md5 encrypted data?

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user1226057
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    No you can't. MD5 is a one way hash function, that generates a hash. md5 is not encryption. (Also, use search. 2.7million questions... this is not a unique question) – Layke Feb 22 '12 at 14:21

4 Answers4

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md5 is a hashing technique. You cannot decrypt it back.Hashing means, once you are converted it to a encrypted code, you cannot go back! But you can still compare the md5 encrypted value with the another md5 encrypted value to check matches (mostly in the case of password verification and all!)

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No, it's not possible in general. MD5 is not an encryption algorithm. Multiple strings map to the same hash. It's impossible to know which of these strings is the "correct" one.

You can however try to use an online database to find a string that gives the correct hash:

fracz
  • 20,536
  • 18
  • 103
  • 149
Mark Byers
  • 811,555
  • 193
  • 1,581
  • 1,452
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It cannot be done. But perhaps some reverse-MD5 indexes have your data, coincidentally. Try this:

Kmeixner
  • 1,664
  • 4
  • 22
  • 32
hatseflats
  • 21
  • 1
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Brute force. Not ideal but if you have a general idea of what the string might be, it could work.

sgcharlie
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    Not a downvoter, but I think they referred to the fact that **decryption** is impossible, period (not being an encryption in the first place). As for finding the original value whose MD5 is like the hash you have, well, bruteforce could be a strategy if you have a table with looots of md5 hashes to compare – Damien Pirsy Feb 22 '12 at 14:33
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    Even if you find a "rseult", you have no guarantee that it is actually the original value, and not a clash – Mark Baker Feb 22 '12 at 15:05