The "birthday attack" is a type of which cryptographic attack?

Correct option is B

The birthday attack is a cryptographic exploit that relies on the mathematical principle of the birthday paradox to find two inputs that produce the same hash value (a collision) in hash functions.
Important Key Points:
1. The birthday attack exploits the non-uniformity of hash collisions in cryptographic hash functions.
2. It is a practical attack on weaker hashing algorithms like MD5 and SHA-1.
3. Stronger hash functions (e.g., SHA-256) are designed to resist such attacks.
Knowledge Booster:
· Collision Attack: Occurs when two different inputs produce the same hash.
· Replay Attack: Involves intercepting and re-sending valid data packets to deceive the receiver.
· Side-Channel Attack: Exploits physical properties (like timing or power consumption) of a system.