Cryptography & Security
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Birthday Bound

Collisions become likely after about √ of the hash space.

Formula

n1.1772bn \approx 1.177\sqrt{2^b}

Variables

nItems for 50% collision
bHash size (bits)

Example

64-bit hash: n ≈ 5×10⁹ before a collision is likely

Did You Know?

The birthday paradox is why a 256-bit hash gives only 128 bits of collision resistance.

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