?? Hashing in Cryptography: The Digital Fingerprint of Security! ??
Kathiresan Natarajan
?? Aspiring Cybersecurity Professional | Cloud & Risk Management | Graphic & Logo Design Specialist | Passionate about Innovation, Learning, and Knowledge Sharing | Committed to Securing Digital Assets & Data
Imagine sending a sealed letter through the mail. You want to ensure that no one tampers with it, but how can you verify this? ??
This is where hashing comes in—the digital fingerprint of data!
?? What is Hashing?
Hashing is a one-way mathematical function that converts input data into a fixed-length unique string (hash). No matter how big the input is, the output (hash) is always of the same length.
?? Analogy: Think of it as a blender! ??
?? Why is Hashing Important in Cybersecurity?
? Data Integrity – Ensures data isn’t altered (e.g., file verification).
? Password Security – Stores passwords securely (e.g., bcrypt, PBKDF2).
? Digital Signatures – Validates documents and transactions.
? Blockchain – Ensures immutability (e.g., Bitcoin uses SHA-256).
?? Common Hashing Algorithms
?? MD5 – Fast but weak (prone to collisions ?).
?? SHA-256 – Secure and widely used (Bitcoin, SSL ??).
?? Bcrypt & Argon2 – Best for password hashing (slower but safer ?).
?? Diagram: How Hashing Works
?? Input: "CyberSecurity123"
?? SHA-256 Output: A91D4D9A3C7E34B1E8B7E4F6A9F6E9D2F0C9F1D8E6D6A3F6E9D2F0C9F1D8E6D6
Even a tiny change in input completely changes the hash (Avalanche Effect ???)!
?? Have you ever used hashing in cybersecurity? Share your thoughts below! ??
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