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11 articles with this tag.
RIPEMD-160 is a 160-bit hash function that runs two independent lines of 80 steps over every block and then merges them. Learn how its padding, rounds, and combine step work, why Bitcoin still uses it, and how it compares with SHA-1.
20 min read
Skein is a hash function built from the Threefish block cipher and a tweak that marks every block. It was one of the five finalists of the NIST SHA-3 competition. Learn how Unique Block Iteration, the configuration block, and the output stage work, with every digest checked.
18 min read
SM3 is the Chinese national standard hash function. It looks like SHA-256 at first glance, but its message expansion, step function, and 16 rounds of pure XOR are different. Learn how it works step by step, with every intermediate value checked against the standard.
15 min read
Streebog, or GOST R 34.11-2012, is the Russian hash function standard. It hashes with a 12-round AES-like cipher, a length counter, and a checksum. Learn how its S-box, byte transposition, and linear map work, with every round of the RFC 6986 example checked.
19 min read
Tiger is a 192-bit hash function designed for fast hashing on 64-bit processors. It uses four large S-boxes and only a handful of operations per round. Learn how its three passes, key schedule, and S-box generator work, and how Tiger2 differs.
16 min read
Whirlpool is a 512-bit hash function built from an AES-like block cipher that works on an 8 by 8 matrix of bytes. Learn how its S-box, column shift, and diffusion matrix work, how the Miyaguchi-Preneel mode turns the cipher into a hash, and how it compares with SHA-2.
16 min read
Every hash function is vulnerable to a generic birthday attack. MD5 is vulnerable to something worse: a real, structural flaw that produces full 128-bit collisions far faster than any generic attack should allow. Both are demonstrated here, live and verified.
16 min read
BLAKE2 and BLAKE3 have emerged as the preferred choice for new applications requiring high-performance hashing
20 min read
Secure Hash Algorithm 1 was for years one of the most widely used cryptographic hash functions.
9 min read
The SHA-2 family of cryptographic hash functions is the gold standard for digital security today.
10 min read
Ronald Rivest designed MD5 in 1991. By 2004 it was broken. Here's the algorithm, and why real collisions ended its cryptographic career.
9 min read
