CISA Certified Information Systems Auditor – Question1480

The MOST important difference between hashing and encryption is that hashing:

A.
is irreversible.
B. output is the same length as the original message.
C. is concerned with integrity and security.
D. is the same at the sending and receiving end.

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

Explanation:
Hashing works one way; by applying a hashing algorithm to a message, a message hash/digest is created. If the same hashing algorithm is applied to the message digest, it will not result in the original message. As such, hashing is irreversible, while encryption is reversible. This is the basic difference between hashing and encryption. Hashing creates an output that is smaller than the original message, and encryption creates an output of the same length as the original message. Hashing is used to verify the integrity of the message and does not address security. The same hashing algorithm is used at the sending and receiving ends to generate and verify the message hash/digest. Encryption will not necessarily use the same algorithm at the sending and receiving and to encrypt and decrypt.