Hashing is a one-way cryptographic function while encryption is designed to work both ways. Encryption algorithms take input and a secret key and generate a random looking output called a ciphertext.

Investopedia contributors come from a range of backgrounds, and over 25 years there have been thousands of expert writers and editors who have contributed. Amilcar has 10 years of FinTech, blockchain, ...

Over the past several months, we've seen major breaches exposing numerous usernames and passwords. The eBay and Adobe breaches impacted millions of accounts. Snapchat was compromised. With every ...