c# - SHA512 Encryption + salted

Question

I am working on a C# visual studio windows form application. However, i was stuck halfway during my development.

I am trying to ask the user for his/her password before encrypting it with salted. How can i encrypted my password text with SHA 512 with salted and decrypted it later on? Is there any advise on how i can do it? Is SHA 512 secure enough as compare to other encryption methods?

Answer 1

SHA512 is NOT a form of encryption, it is a form of hashing. Hashing is one-way - i.e. it cannot be decrypted. The only way to find a value from a hash is by rainbow tables, which is not an exact science, to say the least.

As such, SHA512 is more secure than an encryption method when it comes to a password, as you are never storing something that can be easily decrypted, merely collided with.