What is Message digest?
Message digest Definition: A small representation of a larger message. Message digests are used to ensure the authentication and integrity of information not the confidentiality.
Understanding Message digest
A small representation of a larger message. Message digests are used to ensure the authentication and integrity of information not the confidentiality. A message digest is a fixed-size cryptographic hash value generated from arbitrary-sized data providing a unique digital fingerprint that changes if the original data is modified. Digests enable integrity verification but dont provide confidentiality or authentication without additional mechanisms. Common digest algorithms include SHA-256 SHA-3 and BLAKE2. Message digest standards include FIPS 180-4 SHA FIPS 202 SHA-3 and various NIST publications. Organizations use message digests for integrity verification digital signatures password storage data deduplication and tamper detection. For example software vendors publish message digests hashes alongside downloadable files so users can verify the files havent been corrupted or tampered with during download by comparing the calculated hash with the published value. Related terms Hash function Cryptographic hash Digital signature Integrity SHA Checksum Collision resistance.