In digital forensics, what is the key purpose of hashing evidence?

Hashing evidence in digital forensics primarily serves the purpose of verifying data integrity. When evidence is collected, it is crucial to ensure that it has not been altered or tampered with during the investigation process. A hash function takes input data and produces a fixed-size string of characters, which acts as a unique identifier for that data. By generating a hash value before and after handling the evidence, investigators can compare the two values. If they match, it confirms that the data remains unchanged, thus ensuring its integrity.

This process is essential in forensic investigations because any alteration, whether accidental or intentional, could compromise the validity of the evidence. Consequently, while hashing can also support security measures and other data handling techniques, its primary function in this context is to establish and maintain the integrity of the evidence being analyzed.