Practical Foundations in Cybersecurity
  • 🖌️Practical Foundations in Cybersecurity
  • 1. IT career planning
    • Introduction - IT career planning
    • IT career paths – everything you need to know
    • Job roles in IT and cybersecurity
    • How to break into information security
    • The Security Operations Center (SOC) career path
    • The GRC analyst role
    • How to get CCNA certification
    • Job search strategy
  • 2. Introduction to cybersecurity
    • Introduction - Introduction to cybersecurity
    • Foundational cybersecurity concepts and practices
    • The cybersecurity threat landscape
    • Common cyber attacks
    • Risk mitigation methods
    • Network security risk mitigation best practices
  • 3. Cybersecurity GRC
    • Introduction - Cybersecurity GRC
    • Cybersecurity GRC
  • 4. Networking fundamentals
    • Introduction - Networking fundamentals
    • Network devices and their functions
    • The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model
    • Host to host communication in networking
    • How switches facilitate communication
    • How routers facilitate communication
    • Network protocols and their functions
    • Typing www.google.com into a web browser
    • OSI model layers and security threats
  • 5. Wireless security and cryptography
    • Introduction - Wireless security and cryptography
    • Hashing algorithms and message integrity
      • Understanding hash, digest, checksum, and fingerprint
    • Cryptographic encryption and confidentiality
    • The SSL/TLS handshake
    • Message signing using asymmetric keys
    • Authentication methods
    • Replay attacks and anti-replay methods
    • Generating and applying an RSA key
    • IEEE 802.11 authentication methods
    • IEEE 802.11 privacy and integrity methods
    • Authentication and encryption in WPA, WPA2, and WPA3
  • 6. Practical foundations in ethical hacking
    • Introduction - Practical foundations in ethical hacking
    • What is professional ethical hacking
    • The perils of unethical hacking
    • Defensive security vs offensive security
    • Defensive cybersecurity technologies
    • Phases of the penetration testing process
    • Types of penetration testing
    • Pentesting methodologies, frameworks, and technologies
    • Common attack targets
  • 7. Conclusion
    • Introduction - Conclusion
    • Final words
Powered by GitBook
On this page
  1. 5. Wireless security and cryptography
  2. Hashing algorithms and message integrity

Understanding hash, digest, checksum, and fingerprint

While "hash," "digest," "checksum," and "fingerprint" are related concepts and sometimes used interchangeably, their usage depends on context and technical precision. Here’s a breakdown:

1. Hash

  • A hash is the general term for the output of a hashing algorithm.

  • It is a fixed-size value derived from input data of arbitrary size.

  • Used in many applications, including data structures (hash tables), cryptography, and integrity verification.

  • Example: SHA-256("hello") → "2cf24dba5..."

2. Digest (Message Digest)

  • A digest is a cryptographic hash, often used specifically for verifying data integrity.

  • Historically tied to algorithms like MD5 (Message Digest 5) or SHA-1.

  • Emphasizes the idea of "summarizing" data into a fixed-size representation.

  • Example: MD5("hello") → "5d41402a..."

3. Checksum

  • A checksum is a simpler form of hash, typically used for error detection (not cryptographic security).

  • Often smaller in size (e.g., CRC32, Adler-32).

  • Designed to detect accidental changes (e.g., file corruption, network errors).

  • Example: CRC32("hello") → 3610a686

4. Fingerprint

  • A fingerprint is a hash used to uniquely identify data (like a human fingerprint).

  • Often applied to public keys (e.g., SSH key fingerprints) or file identities.

  • May be a shortened or formatted version of a hash for readability.

  • Example: SHA-256 fingerprint of an SSH key → "SHA256:AbCdE..."

Key Differences:

Term
Typical Use Case
Security Strength
Example Algorithms

Hash

General-purpose, data structures, cryptography

Varies (weak to strong)

SHA-256, MurmurHash

Digest

Cryptographic integrity checks

Strong (usually)

MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256

Checksum

Error detection (non-crypto)

Weak

CRC32, Adler-32

Fingerprint

Unique identification

Strong (usually)

Truncated SHA-256

When They Overlap:

  • A cryptographic hash (e.g., SHA-256) can be called a digest, hash, or fingerprint depending on context.

  • A checksum is technically a hash but is rarely cryptographic.

  • Fingerprint implies human-readable identification, often derived from a hash.

Summary:

  • Hash = Broad term for any fixed-size output from a hashing function.

  • Digest = Cryptographic hash used for integrity (common in older algorithms like MD5).

  • Checksum = Simple hash for error detection (not secure against tampering).

  • Fingerprint = Human-friendly hash for identification (e.g., SSH keys).

PreviousHashing algorithms and message integrityNextCryptographic encryption and confidentiality

Last updated 1 day ago