Blockchain has revolutionized the way data is stored, verified, and shared. The most important part of the innovation of Blockchain is hashing. It is important to know hashing in Blockchain to understand how blockchain ensures data integrity and security.
In this blog, we will explain to you about hashing, its working process, and its importance in the modern world. So let’s get started!
Table Of Contents
What is a Hash Function?
Typical hash functions accept variable-length inputs and generate fixed-length outputs. A cryptographic hash function combines hash function message-passing capabilities with security features. The original data cannot be recovered through decryption after conversion since the algorithm is a one-way cryptographic function.
It’s crucial to first know the data structure in order to completely appreciate what hashing is all about. A data structure is a specific kind of data storage that mostly consists of linked lists and pointers.
Pointers act as markers that guide users to the intended location since they are variables that relate to other variables. Additionally, it also provides the address of the chain’s subsequent block. Linked lists are collections of nodes that are connected by pointers.Hash functions are extensively used in computing systems for activities such as message integrity verification and information authentication. Even though they are hard to understand at first glance, they are considered to be cryptographically weak. This is because they can be solved quickly using algorithms that work in polynomial time. This means that they are not secure enough against the computers in the modern world. For a hash function to be cryptographically secure and useful, it should have the following properties:
1. Collision resistant
Suppose there are two messages given as m1 and m2. It becomes very hard for you to find an output of a hash function where hash(k,m1) = hash(k,m2). In other words, it becomes very difficult for you to make two different messages to produce the hash value by using the same key k. Hence, it is an important feature of secure hash functions known as collision resistance.
2. Preimage resistance
For a given hash value h, it is difficult to find a message m such that h = hash(k,m).
3. Second Preimage resistance
For a given message m1, it is difficult to find another message m2 such that hash(k, m1) = hash(k, m2).
4. Large output space:
The only way to find two different inputs producing the same hash is by trying a number of possible inputs one by one. This is because the hash function gives outputs that are very hard to predict, therefore, you have to check every possibility. This process is known as a brute force search.
5. Deterministic
A hash function should be deterministic. This means if the same output is given every time, it should produce the same output. It is important to maintain this consistency so that the data can be verified and compared in a reliable way.
6. Avalanche Effect
This means that even if you make a minute change to the input, the output value will be completely different. This is known as the Avalanche effect.
7. Puzzle Friendliness
This means that even if you get to know the first 200 bytes of the data, you cannot predict the next 56 bytes of the data. This helps you to keep the data secure and unpredictable.
8. Fixed-length mapping
The length of the input does not matter. A hash function always produces an output of the same fixed length. This consistency of hashes makes ot useful in systems like blockchain.
Types of Cryptographic Hash Functions
The different types of hash functions are explained below:
1. RACE Integrity Primitives Evaluation Message Digest (RIPEMD)
The RIPEMD family of hash functions consists of RIPEMD, RIPEMD-128, RIPEMD-160, RIPEMD-256, and RIPEMD-320. Among these, the RIPEMD-160 is the most widely used because it balances well between security and privacy. The original version is RIPEMD-128 and has the same design principles as the MD4 algorithm. To reduce the chance of accidental collisions by generating longer hash values, RIPEMD-256 and RIPEMD-320 were introduced. Despite the longer length of outputs, these versions don’t provide stronger security than RIPEMD-128 and RIPEMD-160.
2. Message Digest Algorithm
This family of hash functions includes MD2, MD4, MD5, and MD6. Among these, the MD5 algorithm is the most widely used, especially to generate 128-bit hash values from 512-bit input blocks. It is done by breaking the input into 16 words, each having 32 bits. They are then processed to produce an output of fixed length. This algorithm was designed by Ronald Rivest in the year 1991 and was originally intended for the verification of digital signatures. Many vulnerabilities were discovered over the course of time, and the entire MD family was considered to be cryptographically insecure. These algorithms are np longer used for secure applications like authentication or verification of data integrity.
3. BLAKE2
BLAKE 2 is a cryptographic hash function. It was announced on December 21, 2012. It is based on the previous version of the BLAKE algorithm was created to serve as a secure replacement for the older hash functions like MD5 and SHA-1. BLAKE 2 provides you with better security than SHA-2 and has equal strength to SHA-3. Some of the important features of BLAKE 2 include protection against length extension attacks, providing simplified message processing by removing the requirement to add constants, easier padding, and fewer processing rounds, which are reduced from 16 to 12. This makes it more efficient and secure.
4. BLAKE3
It was introduced on January 9, 2020. It is a cryptographic hash function based on Bao and BLAKE2. It is a little faster than BLAKE2 and provides many features like parallelism, XOF, KDF, etc.
5. Whirlpool
It is a cryptographic hash function that was first introduced in the year 2000. It is a modified version of the AES (Advanced Encryption Standard). Whirlpool produces a hash of 512 bits.
6. Secure Hashing Algorithm
The family of Secure Hashing Algorithm (SHA) includes: SHA-0, SHA-1, SHA-2, and SHA-3.
- SHA-0 is a 160-bit hash function. It was developed by National Institute of Standards and Technology in the year 1993.
- SHA-1 was developed in 1995 to correct the weakness of SHA-0.
- SHA-2 consists of the following SHA variants: SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-512, SHA-512/224, and SHA-512/256. It is a stronger hash function but still follows the design of SHA-1.
- In 2012, the Keccak algorithm was chosen to become the official SHA-3 standard for cryptographic hashing. The Keccak algorithm was chosen because of its strong security and performance, which was to be used as the next generation of secure hash functions.
- Among all the cryptographic hash functions, SHA-256 is the most famous because it is used extensively in blockchain technology. It was developed by the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2001.
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Where is Hash Function applied?
The creation of hash tables is the most common application of hashing. Key and value pairs are kept in a list that can be accessed using a hash table’s index. All value pairs will be kept in the hash table’s list, which may be retrieved quickly using its index.
The end result is a means for efficiently obtaining key values in a database table as well as a way to increase a database’s security through encryption.
Cybersecurity
Cyberspace makes extensive use of hashing. The use of hashing in encryption is one that, in today’s environment where cybersecurity is crucial, gets the most prominence.
For security reasons, a good hash function is always a unidirectional procedure that employs a one-way hashing method. This way, the encryption would not be useless when hackers quickly reverse-engineer the hash to get the original data.
A hash function’s input might be supplemented with random data to further boost the uniqueness of encrypted outputs. This process, called “salting,” ensures distinct output even when the inputs are identical. For instance, a rainbow table or a dictionary attack might be used by hackers to retrieve user credentials stored in a database. Salting prevents the tempering of data during such attacks.
Data Retrieval
Hashing is widely used for Data Retrieval. With the use of algorithms and/or functions, hashing encodes object data into a useful integer value. The search for these objects on that object data map may then be honed using a hash.
For instance, developers store data in the form of key and value pairs in hash tables, which may include customer records. The hash code or the integer is then mapped to a predetermined size, while the key aids in data identification and serves as an input to the hashing method.
After a deep understanding of Hashing and its applications, let us understand Blockchain.
What is Blockchain?
In its most basic form, a blockchain is a continuously updated and reviewed distributed ledger of transactions. It may be configured to record and monitor anything of value across a network dispersed around many locations and entities. This is also often referred to as distributed ledger technology.
The block and the chain are the two halves of a blockchain, respectively. A block is a group of data that is connected to other blocks in a virtual chain chronologically. A blockchain may be compared to a railway with several cars connected in a line, each carrying a certain quantity of data. Blocks can only hold a specific amount of data until they are full, just like people in a real train carriage.
Additionally, each block has a timestamp, which makes it apparent when the data was captured and saved. This is crucial for things like transaction or supply chain data, where knowing the precise moment that a payment or item was handled is critical.
The blockchain is the foundation of a cryptocurrency. The blockchain keeps track of verified transactions, preventing double spending and fraudulent transactions. The resultant encrypted value is known as a hash and is composed of a string of numbers and letters that have no relation to the original material. Working with this hash is a part of cryptocurrency mining.
Hashing gives an output of a set length after putting the information from a block through a mathematical algorithm. Because someone attempting to decrypt the hash won’t be able to determine the length of the input by looking at the length of the output, using a fixed-length output boosts security.Despite being frequently linked to cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology is not just used in the market for digital assets. It can do a wide variety of various tasks across several sectors because of its remarkable capacity to add and store data.
Why is Hashing used in Blockchain?
It refers to the technique of having an input item of any length mirror an output item of a defined length. In the case of blockchain applications in cryptocurrencies, transactions of variable duration are processed by a certain hashing algorithm, and all produce an output of a set length. This is true regardless of how long the input transaction is.
Bitcoin’s SHA-256 is one such example. Hashing using SHA-256 always yields an output result of a defined length, which is 256 bits (the output is 32 bytes). This is true whether the transaction is as simple as a single word or as complicated as a transaction involving massive quantities of data.
This implies that keeping track of a transaction becomes easier when the hash can be recalled/traced. The size of the hash will vary depending on the hash function used, however, the output from a specified hashing technique will be of a set size.
Hashing gives each block in the blockchain a distinct identity; therefore, changing the blockchain will have inescapable effects. Information that acts as the block’s identification is found in the block’s header.
A lot of components are required to construct the block. As a result, when a blockchain hash is generated, the data is turned into a unique string inside a block.
How is Hashing in Blockchain useful?
Hash functions are frequently employed to ensure the integrity of data. Given a trustworthy hash of the data, the hash of the data is calculated, and the two values are compared. If they match, the data has most likely not been changed since the hash was formed.
As a result, hash functions and the integrity protection that they provide have a variety of applications on the blockchain. Among the most popular applications of the hash function in blockchain are:
- Hashing facilitates the generation of cryptographic signatures, which aid in the identification of genuine transactions.
- On the blockchain, hashing facilitates transaction tracking. Instead of looking for a transaction, it is easier to copy the hash into a blockchain explorer where you may examine the transaction details.
- Hash functions, which condense the data into a small value while maintaining its integrity, are a crucial component of digital signature algorithms. Blockchain transactions and blocks are authenticated and data integrity is maintained via digital signatures.
- Hashing functions are crucial to crypto mining because they enable the computation of several hashes to identify a legitimate nonce. This encourages blockchain consensus formation.
Conclusion
Blockchain has the ability to significantly alter global business operations. It provides solutions to the issues that many organizations are experiencing.
Hashing is also groundbreaking in a similar way. Hashing provides a more adaptable and secure method of retrieving data when compared to alternative data formats. It is quicker than searching for arrays and lists.
Together, these two have the power to fundamentally alter how firms function and, therefore, will be highly regarded in the IT world in the ensuing decades.A Solidity cheat sheet is a valuable resource for developers who are working with Ethereum smart contracts. Solidity is the programming language used to write smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain, and it has a unique syntax and structure that can take some time to master.