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A hash is a fingerprint, not a locked box
A cryptographic hash maps data to a fixed-length digest.
The idea
It is designed to resist recovering the input and finding matching digests for different inputs. Hashing is not reversible encryption.
An example
Comparing a downloaded file's hash with a trusted published hash can help detect a change.
Put it into practice
Use a trusted reference; a matching hash alone does not identify a trustworthy publisher.
Further reading: NIST · CSRC ↗
Test yourself: How does hashing differ from encryption?
A hash is not intended to be decrypted
Hashing produces a digest rather than reversible ciphertext.
Explanation and illustrative examples by One Card Wiser. Source linked for further reading.
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