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Asked: 2026-05-25T20:30:21+00:00

I’ve read a couple times that MD5 is not an encryption, e.g. on MD5

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I’ve read a couple times that MD5 is not an encryption, e.g. on MD5 … Encryption? or Command Line Message Digest Utility.

Well, I get that it’s a hash/message digest, and the explanation in the links above says an encryption has to have a key, while hash/md is a cryptographic hash function that produces just a signature. I don’t really understand the difference. Couldn’t you see the cryptographic hash function / algorithm as a key?

Also, what is the difference between something that’s cryptographic and something that’s encryption?

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    You can’t “decrypt” a md5 hashed function, and you chose a bad algorithm if you want to transmit information and the receiver can’t read it.

    So encryption must be decryptable. MD5 is a “cryptographic” hash function, because it’s very difficult to produce a block of information that has a specific given hash value.
    So if you want to sign a message, it is enough to sign the hash. This uses less computing power and the receiver can regardless be sure that the original message is untouched.

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