Hashing in cyber security is important for securing sensitive data and assuring its integrity. There are several applications for hashing, including identity verification, digital signatures, threat hunting, and password storage. Let us see what hashing is and its applications in cyber security.
What Is Hashing?
Hashing converts information content into another form of data, unique identifiers known as hashes. A data security technique called hashing converts information into an encrypted string of random data that can’t manipulated or decrypted using a single-way mathematical operation.
It enables quick and safe access by transforming data values into hashes. They are intended to be unchangeable. The data was sent as input by using the hash function to determine its hash value, encrypted value, or digest of the original data. The given input was converted into numerical form and some alphabets known as a hash value.
Hash values are commonly managed in binary, and the hash value is also data. Hashing is similar to encryption, but the difference is that hashing is irreversible, and in hashing, changing the converted data into original data is not possible. So hashing in cyber security is more important for security purposes because of its high standard of privacy. There are three main elements in hashing. They are the input key, the hash function, and the hash table.
Real-World Implementation Of Hashing In Cyber Security
Hashing in cyber security has various implementations in the real world. It is used in many ways.
The real-world implementation of hashing in cyber security are:
Password storage
Websites store user passwords using hashing. When a user signs up on a website, the new password changes into a digest or hash value through a hash function and is stored on a server. If the user signs up with a password, the hash function will compare the password given by the user and the password stored in the server as a hash value. If the compared password is the same, the login is allowed; if not, the login is cancelled.
Digital signature
A digital signature is a cryptographic mechanism that confirms the originality, reliability, and quality of a message, document, or operation. When someone digitally signs a document, the content is hashed to provide a unique value. The hash was encrypted, and the signature was sent to the recipient with the help of the sender’s private key. The recipient can validate the signature by decoding it using the sender’s public key.
File and document management
Any digital transaction or documentation is authenticated and validated. Two primary cases are used in the management. They are,
- Data comparisons: The hash function will determine and create a fixed and unique password for the given document. The document or file has a unique identity. The hash value will also change when there is a change or modification to the given file or documentation.
- Data integrity verification: The hashing algorithm generates checksums to verify data integrity in files or documentation. When sharing or transferring data, this sends a checksum along with it. Users can make a new checksum and then relate it to the original data. If the data is identical to the other data, then it is secured.
Cryptographic Protocols
Hashing is crucial to several security standards, such as SSL/TLS and IPsec, which protect data during transmission. The Hash-based Message Authentication Code (HMAC) uses hashing to ensure the validity and reliability of messages, hence protecting communication protocols against tampering.
Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies
In blockchain technology, hashing protects the integrity of activities and blocks of data, which is critical for protecting trust and security in autonomous networks such as Bitcoin.
Also Check: Top 15 Advantages Of Cyber Security
What Is The Difference Between Hashing, Encryption, And Encoding?
Hashing
To assure integrity, it creates an output of a specific hash from the input data. This technique uses an unchangeable hash function, which means it prevents the restoration of original data. Hashing is often used to check data integrity and securely store passwords.
Encryption
Encryption is similar to hashing, but the difference is hashing is irreversible. The value can’t change to its original data, but the encryption is reversible. It protects the data and converts the data into an unrecognisable format with the help of an algorithm and a key.
Encoding
This procedure converts data into another format to improve consistency or accessibility, implementing an algorithm that permits the transformation to be reversed by decoding.
How Does Hashing Works In cyber security?
Hashing in cyber security is used to prevent hackers from stealing users’ data. Hashing is one of the best mathematical techniques with algorithms. The original data or input of users is converted into binary form with a combination of both numerical and alphabetical.
Cybersecurity uses hashing because of its high standards. If anyone tries to enter another person’s login details, the input is converted to a hash value and compared to the original value. If both values are the same, then login is allowed. The password is hashed with the help of hashing algorithms. The converted password is saved in the database. Hashing improves cybersecurity by securing sensitive data, such as passwords.
Advantages Of Hashing In Cyber Security
- Hash functions are useful for data integrity.
- With the help of the hash function, passwords are secured and stored in the database.
- Hash functions are useful for analysing messages and data; if there are any changes in the message, the hash value will be changed.
Disadvantage Of Hashing In Cyber Security
- The collision attack is the main disadvantage of hashing. If the attackers or users give two different inputs that generate the same hash value, then a collision attack takes place.
- It is critical to select a hash function that is appropriate for the desired application because some hash functions have errors.
- It has a limited size for input. When the input size exceeds the hash function, this will be one of the causes of collisions.
Conclusion
Hashing in cyber security is a key technique that protects data integrity and improves password security. Hashing values are generated through hashing algorithms. As cyber dangers evolve, cryptographic hashing’s function is likely to expand as well. In cybersecurity, many commonly utilised hashing algorithms are MD5 (Message Digest Algorithm 5), SHA-1 (Secure Hash Algorithm 1), and SHA-256 (a member of the SHA-2 family). However, due to weaknesses identified in MD5 and SHA-1, SHA-256 and other SHA-2 variations are now more often utilised because of their superior security characteristics.
Also Check: Password Sniffing in Cyber Security and its Types
