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Date:      Sat, 30 May 1998 20:58:21 +1000 (EST)
From:      Darren Reed <avalon@coombs.anu.edu.au>
To:        sysadmin@mfn.org (J.A. Terranson)
Cc:        gpalmer@FreeBSD.ORG, opsys@mail.webspan.net, ckempf@enigami.com, freebsd-security@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: MD5 v. DES?
Message-ID:  <199805301058.DAA29114@hub.freebsd.org>
In-Reply-To: <01BD8B6C.68192890@w3svcs.mfn.org> from "J.A. Terranson" at May 30, 98 01:43:54 am

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In some mail from J.A. Terranson, sie said:
> 
> 
> Actually, this question is nonsensical, as MD5 and DES are
> two *entirely* different things.
> 
> MD5 (Message Digest [algorithm] 5) is a *hash* function: It
> does *NOT* encrypt!  What is does is provide a "one way" 
> pseudo-signature based on the contents of the file it is run
> against.  What makes this a "one way" function is that you can
> get a hash (signature) from a file, but you *cannot* get a file
> from an hash!
> 
> DES (Data Encryption Standard [modified LUCIFER]) is a two-way
> *encryption* function.  Not only can you reduce a file to an
> indecipherable mess, but you can take the mess, and recover
> the original file.  

Isn't MD-5 also classed as a cryptographic checksum or is that
just limited to SHA-1 and RIPE-MD ?

Darren

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