Utilizing the massive amounts of computing power at its disposal, Google has manage to successfully generate the first cryptographic hash collision of SHA-1, further advocating its depreciation.
To the average computer user, hash is the first part of a compound word quickly replacing “pound sign” in our vernacular. Or, if you’re particularly hungry, it’s a delicious combination of diced meat and potatoes, but beneath the surface, hashes play an integral part in basic computing functions. Essentially, hashes are ways for computers to summarize large amounts of data into easily digestible bits, and are used for everything from checking for file duplicates to transporting secure data. It’s the latter part of this functionality that is at the center of Google’s latest findings.
