{"id":486,"date":"2019-07-20T17:36:09","date_gmt":"2019-07-20T17:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/?p=486"},"modified":"2025-04-28T12:08:17","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T12:08:17","slug":"hashing-vs-encryption-the-big-players-of-the-cyber-security-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/hashing-vs-encryption-the-big-players-of-the-cyber-security-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Hashing vs Encryption \u2014 The Big Players of the Cyber Security World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hashing vs encryption \u2014 what exactly do these terms mean? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encryption is used to scramble or encode a message or a file so that unauthorized users can\u2019t tamper with or steal sensitive information. Hashing is useful in verifying the actual integrity of a file to prevent anybody from changing the content of a file or corrupting it and passing it off as the original file. They both sound very similar. So, what\u2019s the difference between hashing and encryption? In a nutshell, encryption is more focused on data confidentiality, whereas hashing deals with data integrity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can\u2019t replace hashing with encryption, or vice versa, because they are different concepts implemented in various scenarios to achieve different goals. In case any situation demands both functions to be deployed, it\u2019s advisable by most security researchers to follow the encrypt-then-hash paradigm. Though theoretically more secure, it\u2019s also harder to achieve.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hashing vs Encryption: What is Encryption?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Encryption is\nthe process in which plaintext data gets scrambled into seemingly gibberish\ninformation that, if intercepted by a malicious user on the network, is\nentirely incomprehensible. A mathematical algorithm is applied to encode the\noriginal message into ciphertext that can only be decoded by its intended\nrecipient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, consider Todd has suddenly come into some fortune and inherited valuables from his great grandmother. He decides to place these items in a safety deposit box that\u2019s stored in a secured bank vault. Anyone looking at the vault will not automatically find out its contents. Only if Todd shares the key can the vault and the box inside it be opened, and its items be accessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ROT13 is one example of an encryption cipher or algorithm. As a variant of the Caesar cipher, it basically shifts each letter 13 places away in the alphabet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The above example, though a weak encryption algorithm, illustrates the simple concept that encrypted data is reversible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s consider the following example: Alice is sending an email to Bob, and she encrypts it so that anyone eavesdropping on the network (such as a man-in-the-middle attacker) is unable to make sense of the data. However, it would be a futile exercise if Bob, on the receiving end, can\u2019t decrypt and read the message. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Graphic:<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To aid this process, Alice uses Bob\u2019s public key and her private key to encrypt her message. Now, only Bob can decrypt the message using his private key and Alice\u2019s public key. A third party, Eve, who is listening over the wire, doesn\u2019t have Bob\u2019s private key. Therefore, she is unable to decrypt the message and is left with a stream of garbled data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Types of Encryption:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are two\nmain categories of encryption: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asymmetric Encryption<\/strong> \u2014 This encryption process involves two different keys. One key encrypts (public key) while the other key (private key) decrypts. This encryption is the foundation for public key infrastructure (PKI), which is the trust model on which SSL\/TLS<\/a> is based.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symmetric Encryption<\/strong>\n\u2014 This type of encryption uses the same key to both encrypt and decrypt a\nmessage. Because there\u2019s only one key involved, it\u2019s a faster type of\nencryption that requires less processing power to compute. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the SSL\/TLS\nhandshake process, the secret key is shared using asymmetric encryption. Once\nthe key has been exchanged the browser and server communicates using the\nsymmetric session key that is passed along. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asymmetric\nencryption is considered to be stronger and more secure owing to its one-way\nnature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some\nCommon Encryption Algorithms<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a\nlook at some of the most common encryption algorithms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n