Paragon Initiative Enterprises Blog

The latest information from the team that develops cryptographically secure PHP software.

Choosing the Right Cryptography Library for your PHP Project: A Guide

If you're wondering which cryptography library you should use in your project, this should help make the decision easier.


Preventing Timing Attacks on String Comparison with a Double HMAC Strategy

Preventing side-channel attacks (i.e. timing attacks on MAC validation) and dangerous compiler optimizations with a blinded comparison.


Coming to WordPress 4.4: CSPRNG

In version 4.4 and on, WordPress's random number generator function (wp_rand) will now be cryptographically secure.


The Comprehensive Guide to URL Parameter Encryption in PHP

If you ever wondered the best way to encrypt a username or row ID for an obfuscated URL in PHP, this is the article for you.


How to Safely Implement Cryptography Features in Any Application

No matter what language you're developing in, there's really only one cryptography library that shines above the rest.


The State of Cryptography in PHP

With PHP 7 nearing its official release, let's reflect on the state of cryptography in PHP applications.


You Wouldn't Base64 a Password - Cryptography Decoded

A human-readable overview of commonly misused cryptography terms and fundamental concepts.


Common Uses for Cryptographically Secure Random Numbers

Some useful things that can be built with a CSPRNG.


How to Securely Generate Random Strings and Integers in PHP

A lesson on cryptographically secure pseudorandom number generators in PHP, and how to generate random integers and strings from a high quality entropy source like /dev/urandom to generate secure random passwords in PHP.


If You're Typing the Word MCRYPT Into Your PHP Code, You're Doing It Wrong

Alternative title: "Libmcrypt considered harmful." You should use libsodium if you can, or OpenSSL if you can't.


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Will tomorrow bring costly and embarrassing data breaches? Or will it bring growth, success, and peace of mind?

Our team of technology consultants have extensive knowledge and experience with application security and web/application development.

We specialize in cryptography and secure PHP development.

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Our Security Newsletters

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The first mails quarterly and often showcases our behind-the-scenes projects.

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