Fingerprint

What Does Fingerprint Mean?

A fingerprint in hash cryptography is a short key that helps to identify a longer public key. Fingerprints are used for key authentication and other elements of cryptography security, providing efficiency with smaller data sets.

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Techopedia Explains Fingerprint

When fingerprints are used for key authentication, systems can check these smaller data sets more easily in order to make sure that they are accessing the correct public key. Fingerprints are also more efficient for storage. Security certificate systems may manually perform key authentication to promote best security practices. Fingerprints are important in public-key cryptography and other modern types of digital security. They help to refine the ways that cryptography works in modern systems, where streamlining data sets is essential.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…