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I am currently writing my master-thesis and I want to state in a subsection, that a one way hash function is not a method of encryption. But because it is a thesis, I must supply a scientific source for such a statement. My first guess was "Applied Cryptography" from Bruce Schneier, but he never explicitly says, that a one way hash function is not a method of encryption.

Can anyone give my a hint where I should look for a solid quote? Internet articles are not allowed in this thesis, a book or scientific paper would be great.

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2 Answers 2

up vote 7 down vote accepted

hope this helps! :)

CCSP CSPFA Exam Cram 2 (Exam Cram 642-521) By Daniel P. Newman (page 273)

"Hashing is not encryption, but actually a result from an alogorithm."

Oracle PL/SQL Programming By Steven Feuerstein, Bill Pribyl (page 939)

"Hashing is not encryption because you can't decipher the original value from the hash value."

MSDN magazine, Volume 18, Issues 7-12 (page 55)

"Technically, hashing is not encryption ..."

Black Hat physical device security: exploiting hardware and software By Drew Miller (page 122)

"Hashing is not encryption"

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Thanks, that's perfect! Exactly what I needed. A shame I do not have enough reputation yet to vote this up. –  Demento Apr 8 '11 at 12:45
Seriously, you don't need a source for this statement! It's like saying a real number has no imaginary part. It's obvious, and the one-sentence explanation should be enough. If I was reading a thesis where this was cited from somewhere I would smile and think "that's odd". –  Glen Wheeler Apr 8 '11 at 19:13

You don't need a source because hashing is by definition not reversible, therefore it is by definition not encryption. As a source for that statement goes, any book which covers hashing or cryptography would do (like the one you suggest).

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