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What Is a Cryptographic Hash Function?

Definition and Attributes

A cryptographic hash function is a mathematical function that takes three attributes:

1. Arbitrary-length input data
2. Fixed-length output (called a hash or digest)
3. A method to verify the authenticity of the output

Key Properties

• One-way: Difficult to compute the input from the output.
• Deterministic: Same input always produces the same output.
• Collision-resistant: Computationally hard to find two different inputs with the same hash.

Applications

Cryptographic hash functions are used in various applications, including:

• Digital signatures
• Data integrity verification
• Blockchain technology (e.g., Bitcoin mining)
• Password storage

Examples

Common cryptographic hash functions include:

• SHA-256
• MD5
• Keccak-256