Brute force was exactly what i was talking about. It doesn't matter whether a hash is broken through a mathematical flaw, or through improvements in the brute f

Brute force was exactly what i was talking about. It doesn't matter whether a hash is broken through a mathematical flaw, or through improvements in the brute forcing process, if in practice it still gets broken. Once a hash is leaked brute force becomes possible in theory, and what is possible in theory is usually possible in practice with sufficient dedication. There have been such huge improvements in hashing through tools like hashcat and hardware implementations that i don't think it's unreasonable to distrust hashes. Once a hash is leaked you're essentially hoping that brute forcing it is too high of a cost. Given the history of order of agnitude improvements in hashing speed, i consider it unreasonable to believe that any password database remains safe indefinitely once leaked. I find your trust in the difficulty of brute forcing a hash just as bizarre as you seem to find my distrust of hashes.