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Cybersecurity vocabulary · Encryption and Cryptography

Hash

Meaning in cybersecurity, with examples

/hæʃ/nounCommon term

In cybersecurity, hash means: A fixed-length value calculated from data by a one-way function. The same input always gives the same hash, but the original data cannot be rebuilt from it.

In Turkish: özet değeri, hash, karma değer

How it is used

Also a verb: passwords are hashed, not encrypted. Analysts share file hashes (MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256) to identify malware and compare hashes to prove that evidence has not changed. MD5 and SHA-1 are no longer considered safe for security purposes.

Example sentences

  1. Can you send me the SHA-256 hash of the suspicious file?

  2. User passwords are hashed with a salt before they are stored.

Common collocations

  • file hash
  • password hash
  • hash function
  • hash value
  • salted hash
  • encryptionThe process of turning readable data into a scrambled form that only someone with the right key can turn back into its original form.
  • passwordA secret string of characters that a person types to prove their identity and log in to an account, device or system.
  • digital signatureA cryptographic value attached to a message, document or file that proves who created it and shows that it has not been changed since it was signed.
  • indicator of compromiseA piece of technical evidence that suggests a system may have been attacked, such as a malicious IP address, file hash or domain name.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Encryption and Cryptography

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