Hashing is used to generate a fixed-size digest that can be used to verify data integrity.

Hashing is used to generate a fixed-size digest that can be used to verify data integrity.

• A. Hashing encrypts data for confidentiality
• B. Hashing produces a fixed-size digest that can be used to verify data integrity
• C. Hashing duplicates data to improve reliability
• D. Hashing compresses data to save space

Answer: (B)

Hashing creates a fixed-size digest from input data that serves as a fingerprint you can compare to verify integrity. The essential idea is that a hash function takes data of any size and outputs a consistent, fixed-length value. If the data changes, the digest changes in an unpredictable way, so you can detect tampering or corruption by recomputing and comparing the digest with a known good value. This is why hashing is used for integrity checks: you don’t need to decrypt anything or inspect the whole data—just compare the fingerprints. This isn’t about encrypting data for confidentiality, so hashing isn’t reversing protection or hiding content. It also doesn’t duplicate data to improve reliability, nor does it compress data to save space. Its purpose is to provide a compact, tamper-evident summary that confirms the data remains unchanged. A practical example is downloading a file with a provided hash; you compute the file’s hash locally and compare it to the given hash to ensure the file wasn’t altered during transfer.

Hashing creates a fixed-size digest from input data that serves as a fingerprint you can compare to verify integrity. The essential idea is that a hash function takes data of any size and outputs a consistent, fixed-length value. If the data changes, the digest changes in an unpredictable way, so you can detect tampering or corruption by recomputing and comparing the digest with a known good value. This is why hashing is used for integrity checks: you don’t need to decrypt anything or inspect the whole data—just compare the fingerprints.

This isn’t about encrypting data for confidentiality, so hashing isn’t reversing protection or hiding content. It also doesn’t duplicate data to improve reliability, nor does it compress data to save space. Its purpose is to provide a compact, tamper-evident summary that confirms the data remains unchanged. A practical example is downloading a file with a provided hash; you compute the file’s hash locally and compare it to the given hash to ensure the file wasn’t altered during transfer.