SHA-256 Algorithm Overview

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary goal of the SHA-256 algorithm?

Compressing data to reduce storage space
Generating a unique, fixed-size hash (correct)
Verifying the identity of a user
Encrypting data for secure transmission

What is the typical output size of the SHA-256 hash function?

1024 bits
128 bits
512 bits
256 bits (correct)

Which property ensures that SHA-256 is resistant to collision attacks?

Avalanche effect (correct)
Fast computation speed
Variable output size
Simple algorithm design

What term describes the characteristic of SHA-256 where it's infeasible to find an input that produces a specific output?

Preimage resistance (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the padding process in SHA-256?

To ensure the input data has a specific length (D) Signup and view all the answers

What type of operations are heavily used within the SHA-256 compression function?

Bitwise operations and addition (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a typical application of SHA-256?

Data encryption (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of 'initialization vector' (IV) in SHA-256?

To start the hashing process with a set of predefined values (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which security property of SHA-256 ensures that it's hard to find two different messages that produce the same hash output?

Collision resistance (D) Signup and view all the answers

In SHA-256, how many rounds are performed in the compression function?

64 (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of 'message schedule' in SHA-256?

To prepare the message blocks for processing in each round (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which of these applications is SHA-256 commonly used for?

Verifying file integrity (D) Signup and view all the answers

What happens to the output of SHA-256 if the input message is changed, even slightly?

The output changes drastically (A) Signup and view all the answers

In the context of cryptography, what does 'salt' refer to when used with SHA-256 for password storage?

A random value added to the password before hashing (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the size of each word processed in the SHA-256 algorithm?

32 bits (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the main reason for using SHA-256 over simpler hash functions like MD5?

SHA-256 is more secure (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which component of SHA-256 is responsible for mixing the input data with the current hash value?

Compression function (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the 'domain separation' problem that SHA-256 helps to solve?

Generating different hash values for different types of data (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a characteristic of a good cryptographic hash function like SHA-256?

Deterministic output (D) Signup and view all the answers

Before hashing, what preprocessing step is applied to the message in SHA-256?

Padding (C) Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Algorithm

A set of step-by-step instructions to solve a problem.

Variable

A named storage location in a computer's memory that can hold a value.

Constant

A symbolic name that represents a value; it cannot be changed after assignment.

Data Type

Data types represent the type of value a variable can hold, such as integer, float, string, or boolean.