Distinguish between encryption and hashing and provide a scenario for each.

Distinguish between encryption and hashing and provide a scenario for each.

• A. Encryption protects data confidentiality by reversible transformation; hashing produces fixed-size outputs that are not reversible, used for integrity or password storage.
• B. Hashing can be reversed; encryption is reversible.
• C. Encryption is only for passwords.
• D. Hashing encrypts data.

Answer: (A)

Encryption and hashing protect data in different ways. Encryption turns plaintext into ciphertext through a reversible process using a key, so the original data can be recovered by someone with the right key. A common scenario is securing communications: you encrypt a message so only the intended recipient, who holds the decryption key, can read it. Hashing, by contrast, produces a fixed-size digest that cannot be practically reversed, and it’s used for integrity checks or password storage. For example, you’d verify a file’s integrity by comparing its hash to a known good value, or store password hashes (not the plaintext passwords) and compare the hash of a login attempt to the stored hash, often with a salt. The other statements don’t fit because hashing isn’t reversible, encryption isn’t limited to passwords, and hashing does not encrypt data.

Encryption and hashing protect data in different ways. Encryption turns plaintext into ciphertext through a reversible process using a key, so the original data can be recovered by someone with the right key. A common scenario is securing communications: you encrypt a message so only the intended recipient, who holds the decryption key, can read it. Hashing, by contrast, produces a fixed-size digest that cannot be practically reversed, and it’s used for integrity checks or password storage. For example, you’d verify a file’s integrity by comparing its hash to a known good value, or store password hashes (not the plaintext passwords) and compare the hash of a login attempt to the stored hash, often with a salt. The other statements don’t fit because hashing isn’t reversible, encryption isn’t limited to passwords, and hashing does not encrypt data.