Systems Security Certified Practitioner – SSCP – Question0719

Which of the following algorithms does NOT provide hashing?

A.
SHA-1
B. MD2
C. RC4
D. MD5

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

As it is an algorithm used for encryption and does not provide hashing functions , it is also commonly implemented ‘ Stream Ciphers ‘.
The other answers are incorrect because : SHA-1 was designed by NIST and NSA to be used with the Digital Signature Standard (DSS). SHA was designed to be used in digital signatures and was developed when a more secure hashing algorithm was required for U.S. government applications.
MD2 is a one-way hash function designed by Ron Rivest that creates a 128-bit message digest value. It is not necessarily any weaker than the other algorithms in the “MD” family, but it is much slower.
MD5 was also created by Ron Rivest and is the newer version of MD4. It still produces a 128-bit hash, but the algorithm is more complex, which makes it harder to break.
Reference : Shon Harris , AIO v3 , Chapter -8 : Cryptography , Page : 644 -645