Hashing

As explained earlier, a hash is a one-way encryption method used to authenticate that data received is exactly the same as the data transmitted. The following basics about hashing are important to understand.

• A hash algorithm’s function is to provide data integrity verification, not necessarily character-for-character translations of data.

• The hash process typically generates a fixed length number value derived from a variable length string of text.

• The hash output is often substantially smaller than the source text itself.

• The hash algorithm is sufficiently complex to make producing the same hash value with any other text combination extremely unlikely.