Which hashing algorithm is commonly used for verifying data integrity?

SHA-256 is a cryptographic hashing algorithm that is widely employed for verifying data integrity. It belongs to the SHA-2 (Secure Hash Algorithm 2) family and generates a 256-bit hash value. This hash is unique to the input data, meaning even a small change in the data will produce a significantly different hash output. Therefore, it serves as an effective method for checking the integrity of data—if the hash of the original data matches the hash of the data being verified, one can be confident that the data has not been altered.

In contexts such as downloading files or transferring data, the SHA-256 hash is often provided alongside the data. After the operation, the recipient can compute the hash of the received data and compare it to the original SHA-256 hash. If they match, it ensures that the data is intact and has not been corrupted or tampered with during transmission.

In contrast, the other options, such as AES, RSA, and Blowfish, serve different purposes. AES and Blowfish are symmetric encryption algorithms, primarily used for encrypting and securing data rather than for creating hash values. RSA, on the other hand, is an asymmetric encryption algorithm utilized for secure data transmission but also does not perform hashing to