Which of the following is a hashing algorithm?

MD5 is identified as a hashing algorithm because it processes input data of any size and produces a fixed-size output, typically a 128-bit hash value. Hashing algorithms, including MD5, are designed to take an input and return a unique representation, or hash, that corresponds to that data. This property makes them useful for data integrity verification, digital signatures, and other applications where uniquely identifying information in a compact format is necessary.

In contrast, AES, DES, and 3DES are symmetric cryptographic algorithms used for encrypting and decrypting data. These algorithms involve transforming input data (plaintext) into an unreadable format (ciphertext) and the reverse process using keys. Their main focus is to ensure data confidentiality, rather than generating a hash or fixed-size representation of the data. Therefore, while AES, DES, and 3DES serve critical roles in securing data through encryption, they do not function as hashing algorithms like MD5 does.