Beta. Content is under active construction and has not been peer-reviewed. Report errors on
GitHub
.
Disclaimer
Theorem
Path
Curriculum
Paths
Demos
Diagnostic
Search
Quiz Hub
/
Cryptographic Hash Functions
Cryptographic Hash Functions
4 questions
Difficulty 4-5
View topic
Intermediate
0 / 4
4 intermediate
Adapts to your performance
1 / 4
intermediate (4/10)
conceptual
The Birthday Paradox affects hash-function security. Why does it matter for collision resistance?
Hide and think first
A.
A hash with
n
-bit output can be collided with
∼
2
n
/2
random inputs, not
2
n
. So 128-bit hashes provide only 64 bits of collision resistance.
B.
Hash collisions are impossible for cryptographic hashes regardless of input volume
C.
Birthday attacks require access to the hash's secret key
D.
The Birthday Paradox only applies to dates, not to arbitrary hash outputs
Submit Answer