What is the difference between encryption and hashing?

The distinction between encryption and hashing is essential in cybersecurity. Encryption serves the primary purpose of maintaining data confidentiality by transforming readable data (plaintext) into an unreadable format (ciphertext) using algorithms and keys. This transformation is reversible, meaning that with the correct key, the original data can be decrypted back into its readable form.

On the other hand, hashing is designed to ensure data integrity. It takes an input (or message) and produces a fixed-length string of characters, which is typically a hash value that appears random. This process is one-way and not reversible; once data is hashed, it cannot be transformed back to its original form. Hashing is commonly used to verify data integrity because even a small change in the input will result in a substantially different hash output, which can be used to detect alterations.

The other options present incorrect characterizations of encryption and hashing. For example, the statement about encryption being a one-way process is inaccurate, as encryption is reversible, provided you have the key. Similarly, hashing indeed does not require a key, while encryption inherently requires one to encrypt and decrypt data. The final option regarding scrambling data and combining data does not accurately represent the functionalities of encryption and hashing in their respective contexts.