Editing Hash Functions and Digital Signatures (section)

== <span style="color: #FFFFFF;">Analyzing</span> ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Hashing vs. Encryption
! Feature !! Hashing (SHA-256) !! Encryption (AES/RSA)
|-
| Direction || One-Way (Cannot be undone) || Two-Way (Can be decrypted)
|-
| Goal || Integrity (Was it changed?) || Privacy (Is it a secret?)
|-
| Output Size || Fixed (always 256 bits) || Variable (scales with the file)
|-
| Analogy || A Fingerprint || A Locked Box
|}

**The Concept of "Collision Resistance"**: There are an infinite number of possible files, but only a finite number of possible 256-bit hashes. This means that mathematically, two files *must* share a hash. However, a "Secure" hash function makes it so difficult to find those two files that it would take all the computers on Earth billions of years to do it. Analyzing the "Math of Collisions" is how we decide when to retire an old hash like SHA-1.
</div>

<div style="background-color: #483D8B; color: #FFFFFF; padding: 20px; border-radius: 8px; margin-bottom: 15px;">