What is hashing in cyber security​

What is hashing in cyber security​- Cybersecurity policies that people and companies routinely follow now heavily rely on hash values. This method breaks data into a random and meaningless jumble for output. Still, the identical data will always provide the same hash value. Means of comparison between the before and after hashes, helps cyber security experts to lock down data and identify any modification.

This post will define what a hash is in simple words and discuss why it offers an additional layer of protection against cyberattacks. We will also explore several hash functions and show how little variations in input data cause significant variations in the hashed result.

The Origins of Hashing

Early 1950s IBM researcher Hans Peter Luhn developed the concept of hash-based security. Though Luhn did not create the particular algorithms employed today, his fundamental work finally sparked the idea of hashability.

When colleagues presented Luhn with the difficulty of rapidly scanning a list of chemical substances contained cryptically, he saw the need for enhanced information retrieval in these types of settings. Consequently, Luhn championed the process of indexing as a solution.

Scientists built on Luhn’s indexing development over the next thirty years to create a method for encoding plaintext known as hashing. The hashing procedure needs two fundamental components: a plaintext value and a hashing algorithm. Applying the hashing algorithm to the plaintext value returns a hashed result.

As hashing evolved, it became a vital tool for applications ranging from data integrity checks to password storage. In summary, pioneering work in indexing ultimately caused basic developments in the field of hashing.

What is hashing?

Hashing is the process of transferring data of arbitrary size to fixed-size values called hashes using a mathematical procedure known as a hash function. The hashing technique is supposed to be a one-way function, meaning that it is exceedingly difficult to reverse the process and determine the original input from the hash value alone. The input data is generally called the message, and the hash value it maps to can be thought of as a digital fingerprint of that original data.

The main uses of hashing are to rapidly and uniquely identify data, detect duplicate data, or spread data across available storage resources. Hashing is utilized in many fields of computers and cryptography because it permits seeking up or storing data effectively.

Some essential aspects of cryptographic hashing algorithms used in cybersecurity include:

Deterministic theory: The same input always produces the same hash value.
Non-reversible: It is almost hard to determine the original input from the hash value, a procedure known as a preimage attack.
Collision-resistant: It is exceedingly difficult to identify two separate inputs that generate the same hash value, known as a collision attack.
Avalanche effect: A little change in the input results in huge changes to the hash value.

What is hashing used for?

Hashing is applied in numerous cybersecurity applications:

User password storage: Passwords are hashed and the hashes are stored, rather than saving the passwords in plain text. This secures the passwords if a system is compromised.

Data integrity: Hash values of files or network packets can be determined. Any changes will modify the hash value, suggesting tampering.

Digital signatures: Hashing a message before encryption gives authentication and integrity. The hash is encrypted with the sender’s private key.

Blockchain: Transactions are hashed and saved in blocks to provide immutable records of events.

Hashing algorithm examples

Some of the most prominent hashing algorithms include the following:

Secure Hash Algorithm 1 (SHA-1)

SHA-1 is based on principles similar to those employed by Ronald L. Rivest of MIT in the invention of the MD4 and MD5 message digest algorithms. It accepts an input and outputs an irreversible, fixed-size 160-bit output.

SHA-1 relies on the Merkle-Damgård construction to process a variable-length message into a fixed-length output. Despite its wide acceptance, SHA-1 has exhibited flaws, leading to a shift to successors SHA-2 and SHA-3.

Secure Hash Algorithm 2 (SHA-2)

SHA-2 is a collection of cryptographic hash functions devised by the NSA and published by NIST as a successor to SHA-1. It utilizes a one-way compression mechanism that converts data of arbitrary size to a set size.

All SHA-2 variations provide digests of 224, 256, 384, or 512 bits. SHA-256 and SHA-512 are innovative hash algorithms computed with 32 and 64-bit words, respectively. They use various shift amounts and additive constants, but their structures are otherwise almost identical.

Secure Hash Algorithm 3 (SHA-3)

SHA-3 is the latest member of the Secure Hash Algorithm family issued by NIST in 2015. Unlike SHA-1 and SHA-2, which are based on the Merkle-Damgard architecture, SHA-3 is based on a sponge structure and employs the Keccak algorithm. It has an entirely different internal structure than its predecessors.

The sponge structure absorbs incoming data and then permutes it into a fixed-length hash output. This seeks to give increased resistance to assaults, such as length extension and partial message collisions. SHA-3 delivers the four fixed output lengths of SHA-2 and serves as a direct replacement.

MD2

The MD2 algorithm was invented by Ronald Rivest in 1989. It produces a 128-bit hash value. MD2 is optimized for 8-bit processors, while it works on 32-bit systems as well.

The approach uses a non-linear compression function that turns a variable-length input into a 128-bit output. The security of MD2 relies on a sophisticated multiplication step within the compression mechanism.

MD2 allows speedy computations while limiting potential flaws due to its simplistic architecture. However, MD2 is prone to collision attacks; hence, it is no longer used in cryptographic applications.

MD4

MD4 was also designed by Rivest in 1990 as an expansion of MD2. The method does three rounds of processing on each 16-word block of the input message.

It creates a 128-bit hash value similar to MD2. MD4 was designed for better speed on 32-bit CPUs. However, collision attacks were detected against it, allowing counterfeit digital signatures to be formed. This led to MD4 being overtaken by more secure hash routines.

MD5

MD5 was published by Rivest in 1991 as an upgraded version of MD4. It operates on 32-bit words and applies four rounds of processing to each block. The additional round increases security while keeping good performance.

It provides a 128-bit hash like MD4. MD5 acquired extensive use due to its speed and simplicity. However, substantial vulnerabilities have been uncovered linked to collision resistance, allowing unauthorized parties to create files with matching hashes. This led to MD5 being judged unsafe for most cryptographic uses.

How Hashing is Used in CyberSecurity?

The hash function is irreversible; therefore the resultant hashed output does not reverse for recovering the original input in plaintext.

For example – If someone opens their account on the web, they create a password to it. Such a password is simply gone through a hash function technique like SHA-256. It brings out a hashed version of that password. Hence original password can be erased, and only saved is the hash of this password into the database.

When the user tries to log in again later, whatever password the user enters is passed through the same algorithm (SHA-256 again), and the resultant hash is compared against the hash in the database. If the two hashes match, access is granted to that user. The password is never saved as plain text, thus, even if the database is hacked, the hacker gets access only to the hashed passwords and not the clear passwords.

Hashing creates an additional level of cyberspace security by securing sensitive data like passwords. Even in the case of hacking, hashed passwords are extremely difficult for attackers to decipher due to the nature of hashes as one-way functions.

Conclusion

Hashing in cybersecurity is vital in protecting sensitive data and maintaining its integrity. Cryptographic hashing will surely grow with the advancement of cyber threats.

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FAQs

What is hashing in terms of cyber security?

Hashing is known in computer security terms as the method of taking any input which is usually either a piece of data or a file and converting it into a fixed-length string of characters, most often a hexadecimal integer. This output differs based on the particular input data. Even a slight change in input would generate a hash value dramatically different from the original. Hashing in the general case is used for integrity, authentications of passwords, and digital signatures within the field of cybersecurity.

How does hashing work for data integrity?

This is done by giving any piece of data a unique hash. When that data is transferred or saved, its hash value is recalculated and compared with its original value. If the two hash values match, the data appears undistorted. A small change in this data will provide a dissimilar hash value, which the system would see as an indication that something nefarious had happened to that data.

What Role Does Hashing Play in Password Security?

Hashing is relevant to password security, for example, by keeping hash values of passwords instead of storing real passwords in a database, as computers do. When a user enters a password while logging in, the system hashes the password and compares it to the value saved. Thus, stealing the database using hackers would not yield the original passwords, improving security.

If so, then how can hashing contribute to the process of digital signatures in cybersecurity?

Hashing is the digital signature’s important feature. Subsequently, hashing is performed with the sender’s private key onto this hash value to form the digital signature. The recipient can also decrypt the signature through the sender’s public key, creating a hash value, and then comparing the two hash values to verify the identity of the sender and the document’s integrity.

Is hashing reversible? Can you get the original data through a hash value?

No, it is a property of hashing that makes it irreversible; meaning it is completely one-way. Once hashed, the original input cannot be reversed or gotten through the hash value. This one-way property offers complete security, whereby even if an attacker gets hold of the hash value, they can’t reverse-engineer it to get the original data without utilizing significant computational resources.

Name some frequently used algorithms of hashing in the domain of cybersecurity.

Some of these hashing algorithms that frequently find their application within the field of cybersecurity include MD5, which means Message Digest Algorithm 5, and SHA-1, which refers to Secure Hash Algorithm 1. The reason, however, that most SHA-256 and the other variations of SHA-2 algorithms are often used today is because of the stronger security characteristics they entail as against flaws still inherent in MD5 and SHA-1.

Is hashing applicable to large files and papers, or is it rather applicable to small data amounts?

Hashing can apply to both relatively large files as well as small files. While it is true that generating hash values for very large files can consume a lot of computing resources, modern computing systems have the wherewithal to get this job done quite happily. It is expected to hash very large files for the following reasons: to ensure the integrity of the data and allow for quick verification of the file’s contents without having to compare the full file, thus making it necessary for various applications in cybersecurity.

In security terms, how does salting help hashed passwords?

Salting is the process; a random value (salt) is added to the password before hashing it. Salting thus makes sure, that even if two users have the same password, their unique salts will prevent identical hashed passwords. The attackers do not use precomputed tables (the old rainbow tables) to crack hashed passwords, greatly improving password security.

Is hashing efficient in detecting duplicate files?

Hashing can use its power to detect duplicate files very efficiently. Generating hash values for files and comparing these values allows the system to pinpoint a source of duplication without reading and comparing the whole contents of the two files. This is widely used today in file management systems and data deduplication processes, improving performance while saving storage space.

In what ways does hashing contribute to blockchain technology and ensure the integrity of transaction data?

In blockchain technology, every block carries the hash of the previous block along with it, thus connecting the blocks in a chain depending upon the hash values. This linkage maintains the total chain integrity. As soon as a block is added, any update or modification in a past block will alter that block’s hash and render the entire following blocks useless. No transaction data can be easily changed, thus creating a secure and immutable stock of transactions in blockchain systems.