• hansl@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    1 year ago

    They’re one way functions. Encryption requires decryption, so you cannot lose information.

    Hash functions are meant to lose information. They cannot be reversed. What they’re good at is verification; do you have the right password? Do you have a proof that this is your message and not someone else’s?

    We already use hash functions where they make sense, but the parent is not entirely right; not all hashes and signatures are equals. Some are very quantum susceptible. Those will likely be broken real soon (think years, not decades). Some are quantum resistant.