What Is a Cryptographic Hash Function?
Definition and Attributes
A cryptographic hash function is a mathematical function that takes three attributes:
- Arbitrary-length input data
- Fixed-length output (called a hash or digest)
- A method to verify the authenticity of the output
Key Properties
- One-way: Difficult to compute the input from the output.
- Deterministic: Same input always produces the same output.
- Collision-resistant: Computationally hard to find two different inputs with the same hash.
Applications
Cryptographic hash functions are used in various applications, including:
- Digital signatures
- Data integrity verification
- Blockchain technology (e.g., Bitcoin mining)
- Password storage
Examples
Common cryptographic hash functions include:
- SHA-256
- MD5
- Keccak-256
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