CISSP-ISSAP Exam: Comparing Values with MD5 Hashing Protocol

Comparing Values with MD5 Hashing Protocol

Question

Which of the following protocols is used to compare two values calculated using the Message Digest (MD5) hashing function?

Answers

Explanations

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A. B. C. D.

A.

The correct answer is not listed among the given options.

The Message Digest 5 (MD5) hashing function generates a fixed-size, 128-bit hash value. This value can be used to verify the integrity of a message, by comparing the hash value of the original message to the hash value of the received message. If the two hash values match, it is highly likely that the message has not been tampered with in transit.

However, MD5 is vulnerable to collision attacks, where two different messages can produce the same hash value. Therefore, MD5 should not be used for cryptographic purposes anymore.

To compare two values calculated using the MD5 hashing function, a comparison function or protocol can be used. One such protocol is the Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA), which generates a larger, more secure hash value (usually 256 or 512 bits). The two values can be compared to ensure that they match, indicating that the message has not been tampered with.

Of the options listed, CHAP, PEAP, EAP, and EAP-TLS are all authentication protocols used in computer networks, and are not relevant to comparing MD5 hash values.

In summary, none of the options listed is the correct answer. The correct answer is to use a comparison function or protocol such as SHA to compare the MD5 hash values.