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Hashing vs. Encryption vs. Encoding

Hashing, encryption, and encoding serve different purposes: Hashing generates a unique string of numbers to verify data integrity and detect changes to data. Encryption converts data into an unreadable format using cryptographic keys to maintain confidentiality. Encoding simply converts data between formats without any security measures.

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Manju Devaraj
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
91 views

Hashing vs. Encryption vs. Encoding

Hashing, encryption, and encoding serve different purposes: Hashing generates a unique string of numbers to verify data integrity and detect changes to data. Encryption converts data into an unreadable format using cryptographic keys to maintain confidentiality. Encoding simply converts data between formats without any security measures.

Uploaded by

Manju Devaraj
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Hashing vs. Encryption vs.

Encoding

Encryption Hashing Encoding


Understand the
difference between
Hashing, Encryption,
and Encoding
If you think that Hashing, Encryption, and Encoding
are the same thing, you are wrong! However, you’re
not alone.

There is an awful lot of confusion surrounding these


three terms. As similar, as they may sound, they are
all totally different things.

Before getting down to business though, let’s


understand a few things first.
Internet Security
From a security point of view what are
the most important things when sending
data/message on the internet?
1.
You want to let the other person know
that the message has been sent from
you – not from anyone else.
2.
You want the message to be in the
exact same format – without any
alteration or modification.
3.
You want your message to be
protected from the reach of ill-intended
people – hackers, fraudsters & other
types of cyber criminals.
These three functions can be designated as:

Identity
Integrity Confidentiality
Verification
“
So, how exactly is this done?
Hashing and Encryption are
the answers. Now you must
be thinking ‘Doesn’t that
make them the same thing?’
The answer is NO.
Hashing
Hashing - ###
▪ Let’s try to imagine life without hashing. Suppose, it’s
someone’s birthday and you decide to send a ‘Happy Birthday’
message.

▪ Your geeky (and funny!) friend decides to have a bit of fun at


your expense so he intercepts it and turns your ‘Happy
Birthday’ message into a ‘Rest in Peace’ message (imagine the
consequences!).

▪ This could happen and you wouldn’t even know it (until you are
at the receiving end of certain reactions!).
▪ Jokes aside, Hashing ▪ Basically, a hash is a number
protects the integrity of your that is generated from the
data. It protects your data text through a hash
against potential alteration algorithm. This number is
so that your data isn’t smaller than the original
changed one bit. text.
▪ The algorithm is designed in such a way that no two hashes
are the same for two different texts. And it is impossible
(almost!) to go back from the hash value to the original text.

▪ It’s kind of like a cow moving on stairs – it can move upstairs


but not down!! Anyway, looping back to our “happy birthday”
message. Had you hashed your message, the intended
recipient of your message would unhash the message and
see a different value than what should come back.

▪ At that point, they’ll know the message has been tampered


with.
▪ That’s one of the most indispensable properties of
Hashing—its uniqueness. There cannot be the same hash
value for different text.

▪ Even the tiniest bit of change/modification will alter the hash


value completely. This is called the Avalanche Effect.

▪ Let’s understand this with an example. In the below example,


we have applied the SHA-1 algorithm. Let’s see how it goes.
Text: Everybody loves donuts

SHA-1 Hash value of the text above: daebbfdea9a516477d489f32c982a1ba1855bcd

Let’s not get involved in the donut debate (is there a debate?) and focus on hashing for
the time being. Now if we make a tiny bit of change in the sentence above, the hash
value will change entirely. Let’s see how it goes.

New text: Everybody loves donut.

SHA-1 Hash value of the new text: 8f2bd584a1854d37f9e98f9ec4da6d757940f388

See how the hash value changed entirely when we removed the ‘s’ from Donuts?
That’s what hashing does for you.
Hashing Algorithm Example
Use of Hashing
 Hashing is an effective  Hashing is used in  Hashing can be used
method to compare Digital signatures and to find a specific piece
and avoid duplication SSL certificates. of data in big
in databases. databases.

 Hashing is widely used


in computer graphics.
Encryption
Encryption
 It’s almost impossible to imagine the internet without
Encryption.

 Encryption is what keeps the artificial world of the internet


secured. Encryption keeps data secured and confidential.

 Fundamentally, it is the process of transforming your


confidential data into an unreadable format so that no hacker
or attacker can manipulate or steal it.

 Thereby, serving the purpose of confidentiality.


Encryption & Decryption
 The encryption of data is executed through cryptographic keys. The
information is encrypted before it’s sent and decrypted by the
receiver. Therefore, the data is safe when it is “in the air.”

 Based on the nature of the keys, encryption can be classified into


two main categories – symmetric encryption, asymmetric
encryption.
Encryption Types
Symmetric Encryption Asymmetric Encryption

In symmetric encryption, the Asymmetric encryption is a


data is encrypted and relatively new technique
decrypted using a single compared to its counterpart. It
cryptographic key. It means involves the use of two
that the key used for different keys, one for
encryption is used for encryption and one for
decryption as well. decryption purposes. One key is
known as a ‘Public Key’ and the
other is regarded as a ‘Private
Key.’
Symmetric Encryption
Asymmetric Encryption
 The Public Key is virtually everywhere. Even you possess it without even
knowing it. One is stored in your web browser every time you visit an HTTPS-
enabled website.

 When you send any data to an encrypted site, it is encrypted using the Public
Key. The Private Key, on the other hand, is only with the receiver and must be
kept discreet. Private Key is used to decrypt the encrypted data. The use of
two distinct keys makes the encryption process more secure and a tad slower.

 Both these techniques are used in the SSL/TLS certificates. The Asymmetric
Encryption is first applied for the SSL handshake process — server validation
if you call it. Once the connection is in place between the server and the client,
Symmetric Encryption takes care of the data encryption.
Encoding
Encoding
 Unlike Encryption and Hashing, Encoding is not used for
security purpose.

 Fundamentally, it is just a technique to transform data into


other formats so that it can be consumed by numerous
systems.

 There is no use of keys in encoding. The algorithm that is used


to encode the data is used to decode it as well.

 ASCII and UNICODE are examples of such algorithms.


Let’s flashback a bit
Hashing Encryption Encoding
A string of numbers A technique used to A conversion of data
generated to confirm maintain the from one format to
the integrity of data confidentiality of data another format.
through hashing by converting the data
algorithms. into an undecipherable
format.

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