Cryptographic Hash Function

Cryptographic hash function is an algorithm that verifies the authenticity of a piece of data. Cryptographic hash function takes huge credentials to produce a fixed-size output of enciphered text called a hash value, or just “hash” (normally less than 1KB and serves as the fingerprint of the original file). That enciphered text can then be stored instead of the password itself, and later used to verify the user.

Hashing is widely used in information security and forensic systems. In essence, hashes slow hackers or unauthorized individuals or systems trying to access a certain domain or database.