Question

A healthcare company transmits billing code updates from its headquarters to partner affiliates via the Internet. The network administrator wants to protect the integrity of the data and provides an encoded number that can be used to check its accuracy. Which technique provides a fixed length hexadecimal number that can be used to check file integrity?

Answer 1

The technique that provides a fixed-length hexadecimal number to check file integrity is known as a **hash function**. Hash functions take input data (like the billing code updates) and generate a unique fixed-length string of characters, typically expressed in hexadecimal format. Common hash functions include MD5, SHA-1, and SHA-256. These functions are designed so that even a small change in the input data results in a significantly different hash value, making it easy to verify the integrity of the transmitted data.