Hash string in c#

Question

I have a problem when trying get a hash string in c#.

I already tried a few websites, but most of them are using files to get the hash. Others that are for strings are a bit too complex. I found examples for Windows authentication for web like this:

FormsAuthentication.HashPasswordForStoringInConfigFile(tbxPassword.Text.Trim(), "md5") 

I need to use a hash to make a string that contains a filename more secure. How can I do that?

Example:

string file  = "username"; string hash = ??????(username);  

Should I use another hashing algorithm and not "md5"?

Answer 1

using System.Security.Cryptography;  public static byte[] GetHash(string inputString) {     using (HashAlgorithm algorithm = SHA256.Create())         return algorithm.ComputeHash(Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(inputString)); }  public static string GetHashString(string inputString) {     StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();     foreach (byte b in GetHash(inputString))         sb.Append(b.ToString("X2"));      return sb.ToString(); } 

Additional Notes

• Since MD5 and SHA1 are obsolete and insecure algorithms, this solution uses SHA256. Alternatively, you can use BCrypt or Scrypt as pointed out in comments.
• Also, consider "salting" your hashes and use proven cryptographic algorithms, as pointed out in comments.