What cryptographic primitive produces a fixed-length output string from arbitrary-sized input data such that it is computationally infeasible to invert or find collisions?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: D. Cryptographic hash function

  1. Step 1: Identify the definition of a one-way mathematical function producing fixed digests.
  2. Step 2: A cryptographic hash function (e.g., SHA-256) takes arbitrary input and maps it to a fixed-size digest, guaranteeing pre-image resistance, second pre-image resistance, and collision resistance.
Answer
Cryptographic hash function.
Why not the others: Ciphers are reversible encryption algorithms; Diffie-Hellman is a key agreement protocol; Caesar cipher is an insecure classical cipher.

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What cryptographic primitive produces
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