17. Cryptographic Hashes and Digital Signatures Quiz

What is a cryptographic hash primarily used for?

• Compressing data

• Encrypting data

• Representing data as a short string of text

• Generating random numbers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a cryptographic hash?

• It can be used to recreate the original data

• It provides data integrity

• It is a fixed-size string

• It is unique for different inputs

What is the output size of the SHA-256 hashing algorithm?

• 64 bits

• 512 bits

• 256 bits

• 128 bits

Why is the MD5 hashing algorithm no longer recommended?

• It is difficult to implement

• It is too slow

• It produces very large hashes

• It has collision problems

How can you verify that a downloaded file matches the original file posted on a website?

• By checking the file extension

• By opening the file and visually inspecting it

• By running a hashing algorithm on the downloaded file and comparing the hash with the one posted on the website

• By comparing file sizes

What is the purpose of adding a salt to a password before hashing it?

• To ensure that the same password generates different hashes for different users

• To encrypt the password

• To make the password easier to remember

• To make the password longer

What does a digital signature provide?

• Authentication and integrity

• Data redundancy

• Compression

• Encryption

In the process of verifying a digital signature, what is used to decrypt the signature?

• The recipient's private key

• The sender's private key

• The recipient's public key

• The sender's public key