SHA-256 Explained

How This Cryptographic Hash Function Works

SHA-256 is a cryptographic hash function that takes an input of any length and produces an output of 256 bits. It is a one-way function, meaning that it is impossible to reverse the hash function to get the original input.

How does SHA-256 work?

SHA-256 works by taking the input data and dividing it into blocks of 512 bits. Each block is then processed through a series of mathematical operations, which results in a 256-bit hash value.

The mathematical operations used in SHA-256 are designed to be very complex and computationally expensive. This makes it very difficult to reverse the hash function and find the original input data.

Why is it hard to reverse SHA-256?

There are a few reasons why it is hard to reverse SHA-256.

First, the hash function is very complex. It uses a combination of mathematical operations, including additions, subtractions, multiplications, and rotations. These operations are designed to be very difficult to reverse.

Second, the hash function is computationally expensive. It takes a lot of time and processing power to calculate the hash value of a block of data. This makes it impractical to try to reverse…