{"id":2549,"date":"2024-11-18T15:41:21","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T14:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enthec.com\/?p=2549"},"modified":"2024-11-18T15:41:21","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T14:41:21","slug":"what-is-hashing-how-it-works-and-uses-it-in-cybersecurity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enthec.com\/en\/what-is-hashing-how-it-works-and-uses-it-in-cybersecurity\/","title":{"rendered":"What is hashing: How it works and uses it in cybersecurity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hashing is a crucial process in information security<\/a> that transforms any data into a unique and fixed value,<\/strong> facilitating its rapid recovery and guaranteeing its integrity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What is hashing?<\/h2>\n

Hashing is a data processing algorithm<\/strong> that transforms a string of text or data set into a single, fixed numerical representation. This process is done by a hash function, which generates a unique value for each distinct input, called a hash.
Hashing is commonly used in programming to store and retrieve data efficiently.<\/strong>
The hashing process<\/strong> works as follows: <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Entrance. <\/strong>A text string or dataset is provided as input.<\/li>\n
  2. Hash function.\n

    <\/strong> The input is passed through a hash function, which uses a mathematical algorithm to transform the input into a unique numerical representation.<\/li>\n

  3. Hash.<\/strong> The result is the hash, a single, fixed numerical representation of the original input.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If the hash function is good, the same input message will always produce the same output number and a small change in the message will drastically change the output number.<\/strong>
    However, it’s important to note that the features aren’t perfect.<\/strong> There is a chance that two different messages produce the same hash, which is known as a hash collision. Despite this, good hashing functions are designed to minimize the likelihood of collisions.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Using Hash Values<\/h2>\n

    Now that we know what a hash is, it’s relevant to find out that hash values are instrumental in a variety of applications, <\/strong>including: <\/p>\n