Concept
Concept
Cryptographic key derivation is the process of generating one or more cryptographic keys from a secret value, such as a password, using a key derivation function (KDF). This ensures that the derived keys are secure and suitable for cryptographic operations, enhancing security by resisting attacks such as brute force and dictionary attacks.
Concept
Salting is a cryptographic technique used to enhance the security of stored passwords by adding a unique, random value to each password before hashing. This method prevents attackers from using precomputed tables like rainbow tables to crack passwords and ensures that even if two users have the same password, their stored hashes will differ.
Concept
Hash functions are algorithms that take an input and produce a fixed-size string of bytes, typically a hash code, which appears random. They are crucial in computer science for ensuring data integrity, enabling efficient data retrieval, and securing information through cryptographic applications.
Concept
A brute-force attack is a trial-and-error method used to decode encrypted data such as passwords or PINs by systematically trying every possible combination until the correct one is found. This method is resource-intensive and time-consuming, but it is guaranteed to eventually succeed if given enough time and computational power.
Concept
Key stretching is a cryptographic technique used to enhance the security of weak keys by increasing the computational effort required to crack them. It involves repeatedly hashing or encrypting the key to produce a longer, more complex key, thereby making brute-force attacks more difficult and time-consuming.
Concept
Iteration count refers to the number of times a process is executed in a loop or repeated sequence, often used in computing and algorithm design to optimize performance and accuracy. It plays a critical role in determining the efficiency and convergence of iterative methods, particularly in numerical analysis and machine learning algorithms.
Concept
Password hashing is a security mechanism that transforms a password into a fixed-size string of characters, which is typically a one-way function, making it computationally infeasible to reverse back into the original password. This process protects stored passwords by ensuring that even if the hashed values are exposed, the actual passwords remain secure, especially when combined with techniques like salting and using strong, slow hashing algorithms.
Concept
PBKDF2 (Password-Based Key Derivation Function 2) is a cryptographic algorithm used to derive a secure encryption key from a password by applying a pseudorandom function, such as HMAC, multiple times. It enhances security by using a salt and iterating the hash function multiple times to make brute-force attacks computationally expensive.
Concept
Key strengthening involves enhancing the security of cryptographic keys to prevent unauthorized access or compromise. This can be achieved through techniques such as increasing key length, using complex algorithms, and regularly updating keys to mitigate potential vulnerabilities.
Concept
The Password Hashing Competition (PHC) was an initiative launched in 2013 to identify and select a new, robust password hashing scheme to improve security standards. The competition concluded in 2015 with the selection of Argon2 as the winner, which is now widely recommended for its resistance to brute-force and side-channel attacks.
3