Base64 Is Not Encryption: Why Encoded Data Is Still Readable
Base64 is trivially reversible by anyone. Storing or transmitting sensitive data as Base64 provides no security. Learn why and what to use instead.
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Tags: security, base64, encoding
Base64 Is Not Encryption: Why Encoded Data Is Still Readable Here is a string that appears in production codebases, security audits, and leaked credentials dumps every week: Decode it and you get: That took three seconds. No key. No algorithm knowledge beyond "this is Base64." If you are storing or transmitting sensitive data as Base64 under the assumption that it provides any protection, this article is for you. Why Developers Think It Provides Security The confusion is understandable. Base64-encoded strings look like random noise: To a non-technical observer — and even to developers unfamiliar with the encoding — this does not look like readable text. It has the visual character of encryption output. It is not English. It seems obfuscated. But appearance is not security. The visual…
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