In
Kartris, passwords are hashed for additional security. This means that
the raw password is not stored in the database; instead, a function
called a 'hash' is used to scramble the password, and this scrambled
value is stored. When a customer logs in, the password they give is
also scrambled and then compared to the stored scrambled password to
make sure they match.
Because the
raw password is not stored, the system cannot send the password to the
customer as a reminder because the hash is not reversible. Similarly,
you cannot find the password of a customer or an admin from the back
end, or even by looking directly into the
database.
Therefore if a customer loses or
forgets their password, it must be reset. There are two ways to do
this (1) the store owner can change any customer password from the
back end (2) the customer can request a password change from the front
end.
In the first case above, you should always be careful when
customers request a password change on the telephone or by email
that you are absolutely 100% sure that the customer is the genuine
owner of the account.
In
the second case (online request to change password), the customer will
be sent a link to the email address of their account that is valid for
a limited period (1 hour) and that will allow them to reset their
password.