Re: encrypt/decrypt problem

Ivan wrote:
> hi
>
> i need to encrypt some fields in a table of my postgre db, my table is
> named clients and the fields are "id", "name" and "password", i was
> looking and i find the pgcrypto utility, i read something about the
> pgcrypto functions and i see the "crypto" function and use it, well the
> fields change and i supose that was encrypted... but how i could obtain
> the decrypt info??? (i don't know it), well next i read about the
> "encrypt-decrypt" function, maybe it is what i need i try to use the
> encrypt function from the EMS PostgreSQL Manager (SQL editor) in that form
>
> UPDATE tabla2 SET pass = encrypt(pass, 'iv', 'bf');
>
> next i try:
>
> encrypt(pass,'fooz','bf')
>
> but either work... i don't find much examples about it, pls does anyone
> have an idea of how i can implement the "encrypt-decrypt on my table???

You may be running into a "one-way-hash" encryption system - in which
when you use the crypto function, the data is stored in encrypted
format, with the idea that you take your input supplied, encrypt it, and
compare it to the field (containing the previously encrypted data) - if
it matches, then the "password" or whatever was entered correctly.

It typically isn't possible to reverse this one-way hash back to
plaintext easily.

Andrew Ayers