The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a request to develop a new SHA-3 hash algorithm. The current SHA-1 and SHA-2 algorithms are of a similar design and there have been attacks made against SHA-1. NIST is concerned that SHA-2 could soon be a target and is looking to the general public to develop their next SHA-3 hash algorithm.
Hashing involves taking a small block of data, parsing it in some way, and deriving a small key or fingerprint which uniquely identifies that data. There are many forms of hash algorithms available for free download following a quick Google search. Some of these are very limited in scope, however the desire is always the same; to input a particular string and produce a number. Sending the same string through the algorithm repeatedly will always produce the same number, while sending other strings, even very similar ones, will always produce a different number.
For example, sending the phrase "Rick C. Hodgin" through a hashing algorithm might yield the number 42. Sending "Rich C. Hodgin" might yield 895. Whereas from the numbers 42 and 895 it might not be easy to determine the source strings, the values 42 and 895 could readily be used to verify that the original data sent through the algorithm matches the signature, thereby adding to its authenticity. Hashes have countless uses in computer software development.
NIST has published rules and has set a deadline for entries of October 31, 2008.
Hashing involves taking a small block of data, parsing it in some way, and deriving a small key or fingerprint which uniquely identifies that data. There are many forms of hash algorithms available for free download following a quick Google search. Some of these are very limited in scope, however the desire is always the same; to input a particular string and produce a number. Sending the same string through the algorithm repeatedly will always produce the same number, while sending other strings, even very similar ones, will always produce a different number.
For example, sending the phrase "Rick C. Hodgin" through a hashing algorithm might yield the number 42. Sending "Rich C. Hodgin" might yield 895. Whereas from the numbers 42 and 895 it might not be easy to determine the source strings, the values 42 and 895 could readily be used to verify that the original data sent through the algorithm matches the signature, thereby adding to its authenticity. Hashes have countless uses in computer software development.
NIST has published rules and has set a deadline for entries of October 31, 2008.