IBM to Provide Security w/o Sacrificing Privacy Using Hash Functions

[Michael B. Trausch]

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Sean C. wrote:
> 
> I'm confused though.
> I just read this article from the New York Times. As a newbie to encryption and
> hash algorithms I thought the idea behind hashes was that you couldn't
> reconstruct the data from the hash.
> 

You can't, but if you have matching data, the hash will match.  For example:

List A:
	- Item 234	sample hash: asdfsdd
	- Bubble 332	sample hash: ef2342h
	- Wonky 093	sample hash: 23jasld

List B:
	- Item 324	sample hash: eja8357
	- Silly 325	sample hash: aj3hht5
	- Item 234	sample hash: asdfsdd

That would be the "match", then they can ask for the data behind the
match to be revealed.

- --
Michael B. Trausch                               <fd0man at gmail.com>
Website: http://fd0man.chadeux.net/     Jabber: mtrausch at jabber.com
Phone: +1-(678)-522-7934              FAX (US Only): 1-866-806-4647
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