Forensic hashing is the process of creating a digital fingerprint, or hash, of a file or piece of evidence in order to verify its authenticity and integrity. Hashing algorithms, such as MD5 or SHA-1, create a unique string of characters that represents the contents of a file. If even a single bit of the file is changed, the resulting hash will be completely different.
Forensic hashing is used in digital forensics to ensure that evidence has not been tampered with or altered in any way. For example, if a suspect's computer is seized as evidence, a forensic analyst may create hashes of the files on the computer in order to verify their integrity. If the hashes match the original hashes created at the time of seizure, it is an indication that the files have not been tampered with.
Forensic hashing is also used to identify duplicates of a file. If two files have the same hash, it is highly likely that they are identical copies. This can be useful in cases where there may be multiple copies of a file, such as a piece of malware or a stolen document.
In addition to verifying the authenticity and integrity of evidence, forensic hashing can also be used to identify known malicious files. Many antivirus software programs maintain databases of known malicious hashes, which allows them to quickly identify and block these files.
Overall, forensic hashing is an important tool in digital forensics, as it allows analysts to verify the authenticity and integrity of evidence and identify known malicious files.
