Last updated on Dec 25, 2023
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What are hash functions?
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What are SHA, MD5, and SHA256?
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What are the differences between SHA, MD5, and SHA256?
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How do you choose between SHA, MD5, and SHA256?
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How do you use SHA, MD5, and SHA256 in practice?
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What are some common issues and challenges with SHA, MD5, and SHA256?
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Here’s what else to consider
Encryption is a vital skill for protecting data and ensuring its integrity. But with so many different algorithms and standards, how do you handle compatibility and interoperability issues with SHA, MD5, and SHA256 encryption? In this article, you will learn some basic concepts and best practices for choosing and using these common hash functions.
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- Alexandre BLANC Cyber Security Advisor - ISO/IEC 27001 and 27701 Lead Implementer - Named security expert to follow on LinkedIn in 2023 - MCNA -…
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1 What are hash functions?
Hash functions are mathematical operations that take any input data and produce a fixed-length output, called a hash or a digest. The output should be unique for each input, and it should be hard to reverse or modify. Hash functions are used for various purposes, such as verifying data integrity, authenticating messages, and generating passwords.
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Hash function are used to generate an output string from a source, which operation can be repeated and verified. While the goal is to generate a unique string, hash functions are not designed to encrypt data with a purpose of storage, as they are not meant to be reversed.
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Hash functions have diverse applications including:- Data integrity verification- Digital signatures- Password and biometric data storage- Cryptographic applications like SSL/TLS- Data deduplication- Blockchain technology- File and data retrieval- Randomization
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2 What are SHA, MD5, and SHA256?
SHA, MD5, and SHA256 are examples of hash functions that have different characteristics and applications. SHA stands for Secure Hash Algorithm, and it is a family of standards developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). MD5 stands for Message Digest 5, and it is an older algorithm designed by Ronald Rivest in 1991. SHA256 is a specific version of SHA-2, which is the second generation of SHA.
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3 What are the differences between SHA, MD5, and SHA256?
The main differences between SHA, MD5, and SHA256 are the output length, the security level, and the performance. SHA has several variants, such as SHA-1, SHA-2, and SHA-3, each with different output lengths and security levels. SHA-1 produces a 160-bit output, SHA-2 produces a 224, 256, 384, or 512-bit output, and SHA-3 produces a 224, 256, 384, or 512-bit output. MD5 produces a 128-bit output, and SHA256 produces a 256-bit output. Generally, the longer the output, the more secure the hash function, as it reduces the chances of collisions (two different inputs producing the same output). However, the longer the output, the more computational resources and time required to generate and process the hash. Therefore, there is a trade-off between security and performance.
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4 How do you choose between SHA, MD5, and SHA256?
The choice of hash function depends on the context and the requirements of the application. For example, if you need to ensure the highest level of security and compliance, you should use SHA-2 or SHA-3, as they are the most robust and widely accepted standards. If you need to optimize the speed and efficiency of the hashing process, you might use MD5 or SHA-1, as they are faster and simpler than SHA-2 or SHA-3. However, you should be aware of the risks and limitations of using these older algorithms, as they are vulnerable to attacks and collisions. For example, MD5 is not recommended for cryptographic purposes, as it can be easily cracked and forged. SHA-1 is also deprecated by NIST, as it has been shown to have collisions and weaknesses. SHA256 is a good compromise between security and performance, as it offers a high level of resistance to attacks and collisions, while being relatively fast and easy to implement.
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5 How do you use SHA, MD5, and SHA256 in practice?
To use SHA, MD5, or SHA256 in practice, you need to have a tool or a library that can generate and verify the hashes. There are many tools and libraries available for different platforms and languages, such as OpenSSL, CryptoJS, hashlib, etc. You can also use online tools and websites that can perform the hashing for you. For example, you can use
echo "Hello world" | openssl sha256
to generate the SHA256 hash of the string "Hello world" in a terminal. You can also use
openssl dgst -sha256 -verify pubkey.pem -signature sigfile datafile
to verify the signature of a data file using a public key and a SHA256 hash.
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6 What are some common issues and challenges with SHA, MD5, and SHA256?
Some common issues and challenges with SHA, MD5, and SHA256 are related to compatibility and interoperability. For example, if you need to communicate or exchange data with another system or party that uses a different hash function or a different version of SHA, you might encounter problems with mismatching or incompatible hashes. This can affect the functionality and reliability of the application, as well as the security and trustworthiness of the data. Therefore, you should always check and agree on the hash function and the format of the hashes before sending or receiving data. You should also update and migrate to newer and more secure hash functions when possible, as older and weaker ones might become obsolete or compromised over time.
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7 Here’s what else to consider
This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?
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As seen in my previous comment, hashing + salting strings is used in app and sites to store password results.This way, the application or site manager never know the original password of a user.But, huge tables called "rainbow tables" have been created, containing all the common words and strings, allowing to quickly find a reverse match over hashing. This is why the "salting" process is critical, by altering the stored result, it is no longer possible to use rainbow table to find a password or original string out of a hash.As a general rule, while it's a best practice for sites and apps to hash and salt authentication result, and given this information, it's safer to use different passwords on each and every site or application.
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Hash functions are most widely used to verify the integrity of certain data.If you download a file, and want to make sure it's identical and didn't miss a bit, usually the source site provide a checksum, or hash, which you can generate yourself on your downloaded file and make sure they are identical. Verified integrity.Now, has function, by their design are not meant to be reversible, this means that someone having the output of a hash will not find the original string or file having generated the hash.This is why it is used to store password on applications and website databases, so as the clear text password is never stored.Now, as this is not bullet proof, usually application and sites will add a so called "salting" mechanism.
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