About Me
CompTIA Security+
1 Threats, Attacks, and Vulnerabilities
1-1 Types of Threats
1-2 Types of Attacks
1-3 Vulnerabilities
1-4 Threat Actors and Motives
1-5 Threat Intelligence
1-6 Incident Response
1-7 Penetration Testing
1-8 Vulnerability Scanning
1-9 Threat Modeling
1-10 Security Controls
2 Technologies and Tools
2-1 Firewalls
2-2 Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)
2-3 Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS)
2-4 Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
2-5 Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
2-6 Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR)
2-7 Endpoint Security
2-8 Network Security
2-9 Cloud Security
2-10 Mobile Device Security
2-11 Secure Coding Practices
2-12 Cryptography
2-13 Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
2-14 Certificate Management
2-15 Security Tools and Utilities
3 Architecture and Design
3-1 Security Models
3-2 Security Controls
3-3 Secure Network Design
3-4 Secure Systems Design
3-5 Secure Application Design
3-6 Secure Cloud Architecture
3-7 Secure Mobile Architecture
3-8 Secure IoT Architecture
3-9 Secure Data Storage
3-10 Secure Backup and Recovery
3-11 Security in DevOps
3-12 Security in Agile Development
3-13 Security in Continuous IntegrationContinuous Deployment (CICD)
3-14 Security in Configuration Management
3-15 Security in Identity and Access Management (IAM)
4 Identity and Access Management
4-1 Authentication Methods
4-2 Authorization Mechanisms
4-3 Identity and Access Management (IAM) Concepts
4-4 Single Sign-On (SSO)
4-5 Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
4-6 Federation
4-7 Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
4-8 Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)
4-9 Identity as a Service (IDaaS)
4-10 Identity Lifecycle Management
4-11 Access Reviews and Audits
4-12 Privileged Access Management (PAM)
4-13 Identity Federation
4-14 Identity Provisioning and Deprovisioning
5 Risk Management
5-1 Risk Management Concepts
5-2 Risk Assessment
5-3 Risk Mitigation Strategies
5-4 Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
5-5 Risk Register
5-6 Risk Treatment
5-7 Risk Monitoring and Reporting
5-8 Risk Appetite and Tolerance
5-9 Risk Communication
5-10 Risk Transfer
5-11 Risk Acceptance
5-12 Risk Avoidance
5-13 Risk Reduction
5-14 Risk in Cloud Environments
5-15 Risk in Mobile Environments
5-16 Risk in IoT Environments
6 Cryptography and PKI
6-1 Cryptographic Concepts
6-2 Symmetric Encryption
6-3 Asymmetric Encryption
6-4 Hashing
6-5 Digital Signatures
6-6 Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
6-7 Certificate Management
6-8 Certificate Authorities (CAs)
6-9 Certificate Revocation
6-10 Key Management
6-11 Cryptographic Protocols
6-12 Cryptographic Attacks
6-13 Quantum Cryptography
6-14 Post-Quantum Cryptography
6-15 Cryptographic Use Cases
7 Security Operations
7-1 Security Operations Concepts
7-2 Security Policies and Procedures
7-3 Security Awareness and Training
7-4 Security Monitoring and Logging
7-5 Incident Response
7-6 Forensics
7-7 Disaster Recovery
7-8 Business Continuity
7-9 Physical Security
7-10 Personnel Security
7-11 Supply Chain Security
7-12 Third-Party Risk Management
7-13 Security Audits and Assessments
7-14 Compliance and Regulatory Requirements
7-15 Security Metrics and Reporting
7-16 Security Operations Center (SOC)
7-17 Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR)
7-18 Security in DevOps
7-19 Security in Agile Development
7-20 Security in Continuous IntegrationContinuous Deployment (CICD)
6.4 Hashing Explained

6.4 Hashing Explained

Key Concepts

Hashing is a cryptographic process that converts data of arbitrary size into a fixed-size string of bytes. Key concepts include Hash Functions, Collision Resistance, Pre-image Resistance, and Hash Algorithms.

Hash Functions

Hash Functions are mathematical algorithms that take an input (or 'message') and return a fixed-size string of bytes. The output, often referred to as a hash value or digest, is unique to each unique input.

Example: The MD5 hash function takes a text input and produces a 128-bit hash value. For instance, the text "hello" might produce the hash "5d41402abc4b2a76b9719d911017c592".

Collision Resistance

Collision Resistance refers to the property of a hash function where it is computationally infeasible to find two different inputs that produce the same hash output. This ensures the integrity of the data.

Example: SHA-256 is designed to be collision-resistant. It is highly unlikely that two different documents, such as "report1.doc" and "report2.doc", will produce the same 256-bit hash value.

Pre-image Resistance

Pre-image Resistance means that given a hash value, it is computationally infeasible to determine the original input that produced that hash. This property is crucial for data integrity and security.

Example: If a password is stored as a hash, an attacker who obtains the hash cannot easily determine the original password. This is because the hash function is pre-image resistant.

Hash Algorithms

Hash Algorithms are specific mathematical functions used to perform hashing. Common hash algorithms include MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512. Each algorithm has different properties and use cases.

Example: SHA-256 is widely used in blockchain technology to secure transactions. Each transaction is hashed, and the resulting hash is used to verify the integrity of the transaction.

Conclusion

Hashing is a fundamental cryptographic technique that ensures data integrity and security. By understanding Hash Functions, Collision Resistance, Pre-image Resistance, and Hash Algorithms, you can effectively use hashing to protect sensitive information and verify data authenticity.

© 2024 Ahmed Baheeg Khorshid. All rights reserved.