About Lesson
Applications of Hashing in Cryptography
Hashing is integral to several cryptographic and data security applications:
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Data Integrity Verification:
- Hash functions are used to ensure that data has not been tampered with during transmission or storage. A hash value is calculated before and after transmission to verify the data’s integrity.
- Example: File verification tools like
md5sum
andsha256sum
.
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Password Storage:
- Passwords are hashed before storage to ensure security. Even if a database is breached, the stored hash values cannot easily be reversed to reveal the original passwords.
- Modern techniques include salting, where a random value is added to the password before hashing to prevent dictionary attacks.
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Digital Signatures:
- Hash functions are used in the creation of digital signatures, which provide authentication, integrity, and non-repudiation in digital communications.
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Message Authentication Codes (MACs):
- A combination of hashing and secret keys is used to authenticate messages and verify their integrity.
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Blockchain Technology:
- Cryptographic hashing is a core component of blockchain systems, ensuring the immutability and security of transaction records.
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File Deduplication:
- Hashing helps identify duplicate files by generating unique hash values for each file.