title: How do I brute-force a md5 hash?
body: <p>I'm a little confused on my current task which is to brute-force a md5 hash. I'm also allowed to reduce the hash value down to 24 bits for learning purposes and I'm using OpenSSL in C to generate the md5 hash. My problem is I don't understand the exact method of brute-forcing it, what I did try is: </p>
  
  <p>Check every ascii character append it and then hash it, then compare it to the target hash. </p>
  
  <p>If this is the correct way to brute-force a hash, then how do I go about reducing it down to 24 bits (because then the hash would be changed)?</p>