diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index a6a80c68..d5818f40 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # PrivateBin version history
 
   * **1.4 (not yet released)**
+    * CHANGED: Minimum required PHP version is 5.6, due to a change in the identicon library and to use php's native hash_equals()
     * CHANGED: Upgrading libraries to: DOMpurify 2.0.8
   * **1.3.2 (2020-01-11)**
     * ADDED: Translation for Ukrainian (#533)
diff --git a/lib/Controller.php b/lib/Controller.php
index 18e58522..473853f9 100644
--- a/lib/Controller.php
+++ b/lib/Controller.php
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ class Controller
      *
      * @const string
      */
-    const MIN_PHP_VERSION = '5.5.0';
+    const MIN_PHP_VERSION = '5.6.0';
 
     /**
      * show the same error message if the paste expired or does not exist
@@ -276,9 +276,7 @@ class Controller
                 // accessing this method ensures that the paste would be
                 // deleted if it has already expired
                 $paste->get();
-                if (
-                    Filter::slowEquals($deletetoken, $paste->getDeleteToken())
-                ) {
+                if (hash_equals($paste->getDeleteToken(), $deletetoken)) {
                     // Paste exists and deletion token is valid: Delete the paste.
                     $paste->delete();
                     $this->_status = 'Paste was properly deleted.';
diff --git a/lib/Filter.php b/lib/Filter.php
index 19aeb38d..26892c79 100644
--- a/lib/Filter.php
+++ b/lib/Filter.php
@@ -68,23 +68,4 @@ class Filter
         }
         return number_format($size, ($i ? 2 : 0), '.', ' ') . ' ' . I18n::_($iec[$i]);
     }
-
-    /**
-     * fixed time string comparison operation to prevent timing attacks
-     * https://crackstation.net/hashing-security.htm?=rd#slowequals
-     *
-     * @access public
-     * @static
-     * @param  string $a
-     * @param  string $b
-     * @return bool
-     */
-    public static function slowEquals($a, $b)
-    {
-        $diff = strlen($a) ^ strlen($b);
-        for ($i = 0; $i < strlen($a) && $i < strlen($b); ++$i) {
-            $diff |= ord($a[$i]) ^ ord($b[$i]);
-        }
-        return $diff === 0;
-    }
 }
diff --git a/tst/FilterTest.php b/tst/FilterTest.php
index 96097a02..284802f0 100644
--- a/tst/FilterTest.php
+++ b/tst/FilterTest.php
@@ -56,18 +56,4 @@ class FilterTest extends PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $this->assertEquals('1.00 YiB', Filter::formatHumanReadableSize(1024 * $exponent));
         $this->assertEquals('1.21 YiB', Filter::formatHumanReadableSize(1234 * $exponent));
     }
-
-    public function testSlowEquals()
-    {
-        $this->assertTrue(Filter::slowEquals('foo', 'foo'), 'same string');
-        $this->assertFalse(Filter::slowEquals('foo', true), 'string and boolean');
-        $this->assertFalse(Filter::slowEquals('foo', 0), 'string and integer');
-        $this->assertFalse(Filter::slowEquals('123foo', 123), 'string and integer');
-        $this->assertFalse(Filter::slowEquals('123foo', '123'), 'different strings');
-        $this->assertFalse(Filter::slowEquals('6', ' 6'), 'strings with space');
-        $this->assertFalse(Filter::slowEquals('4.2', '4.20'), 'floats as strings');
-        $this->assertFalse(Filter::slowEquals('1e3', '1000'), 'integers as strings');
-        $this->assertFalse(Filter::slowEquals('9223372036854775807', '9223372036854775808'), 'large integers as strings');
-        $this->assertFalse(Filter::slowEquals('61529519452809720693702583126814', '61529519452809720000000000000000'), 'larger integers as strings');
-    }
 }