Security Beginner

What is Hashing?

A one-way function that converts input data into a fixed-size string of characters, used for data integrity and password storage.

Hash functions produce a unique, fixed-length digest from any input. Unlike encryption, hashing is irreversible — you cannot recover the original data from the hash. Any change in input produces a completely different hash.

Uses include password storage (bcrypt, Argon2), file integrity verification (SHA-256), digital signatures, and data deduplication. Never use MD5 or SHA-1 for security — they are considered broken.

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Security Headers

HTTP response headers that instruct browsers to enable security features like XSS protection, framing prevention, and content type enforcement.

WAF (Web Application Firewall)

A security solution that filters and monitors HTTP traffic between a web application and the internet, blocking common attacks.

Webhook Signature Verification

A security mechanism that verifies webhook payloads are authentic and unmodified using cryptographic signatures.

DAST (Dynamic Application Security Testing)

Testing a running application from the outside by sending malicious requests to discover security vulnerabilities.

A technique that controls the number of requests a client can make to a server within a specified time period.

Cryptographic Key Management

The practices and procedures for generating, storing, distributing, rotating, and revoking encryption keys securely.

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