Rainbow Table: Unable to get last reduction

Question

In this cryptography post it says

The chain can go as long as you want, until it hits the original input. When it hits that point, it will just repeat itself and it will be useless.

So my starting point is 12345 but I can't get the end point and having an endless loop because 12345 doesn't repeat. I'm using qt4.7 (lib version: 4.7.3) to achieve this. Here is my code

rainbowTable::rainbowTable(QWidget *parent) :
QWidget(parent),
ui(new Ui::rainbowTable)
{
    ui->setupUi(this);
    passwordLength = 5;
    qDebug() << getLastReduction("12345",false);
}

QString rainbowTable::hashString(QString value)
{
    QString dataToReturn =  QString(QCryptographicHash::hash((value.toAscii()),QCryptographicHash::Md5).toHex());
    return dataToReturn;
}

QString rainbowTable::reductionOfString(QString hash)
{
    QString dataToReturn = "";
    int iterator = 0;

    while ( iterator < hash.count() )
    {
        if ( hash.at(iterator) == '0' ||
             hash.at(iterator) == '1' ||
             hash.at(iterator) == '2' ||
             hash.at(iterator) == '3' || 
             hash.at(iterator) == '4' ||
             hash.at(iterator) == '5' ||
             hash.at(iterator) == '6' ||
             hash.at(iterator) == '7' ||
             hash.at(iterator) == '8' ||
             hash.at(iterator) == '9' )
        {
            dataToReturn += hash.at(iterator);
            if( dataToReturn.count() == passwordLength )
                break;
        }

        iterator++;
    }

    return dataToReturn;
}

QString rainbowTable::getLastReduction(QString value,bool isHash)
{
    int flagToAvoidImmediateExit = 0;
    if( isHash )
    {
        QString startPoint = value;
        startPoint = reductionOfString(startPoint);

        QString endPoint = "";
        QString tempPoint = startPoint;
        while( startPoint != tempPoint  || flagToAvoidImmediateExit == 0 )
        {
            flagToAvoidImmediateExit = 1;

            endPoint = tempPoint;
            tempPoint = hashString(tempPoint);
            tempPoint = reductionOfString(tempPoint);

            qDebug() << tempPoint;
        }

        return endPoint;
    }
    else
    {
        QString startPoint = value;

        QString endPoint = "";
        QString tempPoint = startPoint;

        while( startPoint != tempPoint  || flagToAvoidImmediateExit == 0 )
        {
            flagToAvoidImmediateExit = 1;

            endPoint = tempPoint;
            tempPoint = hashString(tempPoint);
            tempPoint = reductionOfString(tempPoint);

            qDebug() << tempPoint;
        }

        return endPoint;
    }
}

Here is the debug ouput for a few seconds:

"38064" 
"37923" 
"59636" 
"14842" 
"81105" 
"83011" 
"84978" 
"72903" 
"28301" 
"59067" 
"94222" 
"35329" 
"75907" 
"52980" 
"64297" 
"36654" 
"12207" 
"83738" 
"03523" 
"79083" 
"15597" 
"32652" 
"13934" 
"88497" 
"75435" 
"79791" 
"58265" 
"09856" 
"18041" 
"43966" 
"65978" 
"64242" 
"52739" 
"55704" 
"56811" 
"58183" 
"68597" 
"84064" 
"85717" 
"46438" 
"18042" 
"71321" 
"88067" 
"70648" 
"83580" 
"11878" 
"32297" 
"52376" 
"41289" 
"07909" 
"50439" 
"03819" 
"50325" 
"82736" 
"41621" 
"05497" 
"15546" 
"64017" 
"90503" 
"13150" 
"30287" 
"01749" 
"81308" 
"12036" 
"37241" 
"35850" 
"97225" 
"80539" 
"17472" 
"63098" 
"85818" 
"18438" 
"26139" 
"09545" 
"97042" 
"63672" 
"37406" 
"41180" 
"14910" 
"28900" 
"29729" 
"56861" 
"16208" 
"83565" 
"30912" 
"95541" 
"08468" 
"29539" 
"93679" 
"42487" 
"95833" 
"42793" 
"97064" 
"18087" 
"75623" 
"13910" 
"60404" 
"52557" 
"95932" 
"65477" 
"28304" 
"08456" 
"27849" 
"11429" 
"38896" 
"08634" 
"97107" 
"96385" 
"44159" 
"32875" 
"17063" 
"86213" 
"85052" 
"46852" 
"97541" 
"81412" 
"31199" 
"96618" 
"16178" 
"56100" 
"50394" 
"42087" 
"90552" 
"51966" 
"13598" 
"28757" 
"38715" 
"71025" 
"61334" 
"43686" 
"74633" 
"50360" 
"99883" 
"01361" 
"49662" 
"62929" 
"07280" 
"59161" 
"32509" 
"93670" 
"95649" 
"15206" 
"99927" 
"93692" 
"37748" 
"23350" 
"74680" 
"68259" 
"04819" 
"26627" 
"65968" 
"06919" 
"09194" 
"50084" 
"74452" 
"23763" 
"17953" 
"35026" 
"86691" 
"67542" 
"95634" 
"00793" 
"20270" 
"24386" 
"35606" 
"76055" 
"00010" 
"00798" 
"30867" 
"20697" 
"02143" 
"12044" 
"05098" 
"52828" 
"98446" 
"54039" 
"08778" 
"98405" 
"92267" 
"71783" 
"61953" 
"87447" 
"66505" 
"66535" 
"01776" 
"90120" 
"51497" 
"56082" 
"18253" 
"15222" 
"74769" 
"19614" 
"86376" 
"65391" 
"43365" 
"90484" 
"32717" 
"75052" 
"16186" 
"89444" 
"15439" 
"65166" 
"75785" 
"72462" 
"75920" 
"91383" 
"41678" 
"94123" 
"61751" 
"47976" 
"67798" 
"59438" 
"10180" 
"65854" 
"40218" 
"77990" 
"44843" 
"84554" 
"52350" 
"73347" 
"51901" 
"61155" 
"30316" 
"83096" 
"64946" 
"05985" 
"24208" 
"28718" 
"02241" 
"22303" 
"23331" 
"18410" 
"54868" 
"51723" 
"06401" 
"49554" 
"65577" 
"28105" 
"42319" 
"34167" 
"85036" 
"98679" 
"08594" 
"31075" 
"80514" 
"11517" 
"66780" 
"33411" 
"83180" 
"61910" 
"70423" 
"16885" 
"09107" 
"83702" 
"81842" 
"88430" 
"59146" 
"29140" 
"47236" 
"29625" 
"03078" 
"26540" 
"79321" 
"41649" 
"10210" 
"75702" 
"12020" 
"36877" 
"57307" 
"03222" 
"46603" 
"58449" 
"94709" 
"01436" 
"84975" 
"39385" 
"15952" 
"67607" 
"91666" 
"34456" 
"53385" 
"21512" 
"06712" 
"42073" 
"61343" 
"66825" 
"70199" 
"73203" 
"60216" 
"39469" 
"84324" 
"47850" 
"84825" 
"52471" 
"92397" 
"86051" 
"33676" 
"04221" 
"79740" 
"11573" 
"26304" 
"52510" 
"12679" 
"05930" 
"49607" 
"10880" 
"99174" 
"53967" 
"06397" 
"25700" 
"96721" 
"94694" 
"96566" 
"31746" 
"57359" 
"84870" 
"06236" 
"10673" 
"45914" 
"19209" 
"32478" 
"38824" 
"71178" 
"22983" 
"36320" 
"46594" 
"66538" 
"80495" 
"35645" 
"38064" 
"37923" 
"59636" 
"14842" 
"81105" 
"83011" 
"84978" 
"72903" 
"28301" 
"59067" 
"94222" 
"35329" 
"75907" 
"52980" 
"64297" 
"36654" 
"12207" 
"83738" 
"03523" 
"79083" 
"15597" 
"32652" 
"13934" 
"88497" 
"75435" 
"79791" 
"58265" 
"09856" 
"18041" 
"43966" 
"65978" 
"64242" 
"52739" 
"55704" 
"56811" 
"58183" 
"68597" 
"84064" 
"85717" 
"46438" 
"18042" 
"71321" 
"88067" 
"70648" 
"83580" 
"11878" 
"32297" 
"52376" 
"41289" 
"07909" 
"50439" 
"03819" 
"50325" 
"82736" 
"41621" 
"05497" 
"15546" 
"64017" 
"90503" 
"13150" 
"30287" 
"01749" 
"81308" 
"12036" 
"37241" 
"35850" 
"97225" 
"80539" 
"17472" 
"63098" 
"85818" 
"18438" 
"26139" 
"09545" 
"97042" 
"63672" 
"37406" 
"41180" 
"14910" 
"28900" 
"29729" 
"56861" 
"16208" 
"83565" 
"30912" 
"95541" 
"08468" 
"29539" 
"93679" 
"42487" 
"95833" 
"42793" 
"97064" 
"18087" 
"75623" 
"13910" 
"60404" 
"52557" 
"95932" 
"65477" 
"28304" 
"08456" 
"27849" 
"11429" 
"38896" 
"08634" 
"97107" 
"96385" 
"44159" 
"32875" 
"17063" 
"86213" 
"85052" 
"46852" 
"97541" 
"81412" 
"31199" 
"96618" 
"16178" 
"56100" 
"50394" 
"42087" 
"90552" 
"51966" 
"13598" 
"28757" 
"38715" 
"71025" 
"61334" 
"43686" 
"74633" 
"50360" 
"99883" 
"01361" 
"49662" 
"62929" 
"07280" 
"59161" 
"32509" 
"93670" 
"95649" 
"15206" 
"99927" 
"93692" 
"37748" 
"23350" 
"74680" 
"68259" 
"04819" 
"26627" 
"65968" 
"06919" 
"09194" 
"50084" 
"74452" 
"23763" 
"17953" 
"35026" 
"86691" 
"67542" 
"95634" 
"00793" 
"20270" 
"24386" 
"35606" 
"76055" 
"00010" 
"00798" 
"30867" 
"20697" 
"02143" 
"12044" 
"05098" 
"52828" 
"98446" 
"54039" 
"08778" 
"98405" 
"92267" 
"71783" 
"61953" 
"87447" 
"66505" 
"66535" 
"01776" 
"90120" 
"51497" 
"56082" 
"18253" 
"15222" 
"74769" 
"19614" 
"86376" 
"65391" 
"43365" 
"90484"

As you see 12345 doesn't repeat but other numbers are repeated and having endless loop. Is my starting point wrong?

Answer 1

The chain is not guaranteed to ever hit the initial value again. More often than not you'll probably find it entering a loop like this:

If the input is larger than the hash output, it is impossible by definition to ever hit the initial input value again. However, even if the input has an equal length to the output, it is not guaranteed that the hash will cover every single possible value in the output space before looping around. This actually depends on the characteristics and quality of the hash. A hash may have one big cycle, covering every single possible output value in its loop. Other hashes may enter a number of different possible loops, each covering a different subset of the output space. Other hashes may not ever cover every possible output value.