ABSTRACT
Contents 18.1 What Is a Message Digest? .......................................................................217 18.2 For What Purposes Are They Used? .........................................................219 18.3 How Do Cryptographic Hashing Algorithms Work? .............................. 220 18.4 What Are Their Strengths and Weaknesses? ............................................ 222 18.5 Specific Hash Algorithms ........................................................................ 222 18.6 Some Suggestions for Strengthening ........................................................224 18.7 What Might the Future Hold? .................................................................224 Recommended Resources: Standards .................................................................225 Recommended Resources: Books.......................................................................225 Recommended Resources: Miscellaneous Publications ..................................... 226 Recommended Resources: Organizations ......................................................... 226
to prove the existence of a message without permitting its reconstruction. This has value in authentication applications.
