Analysis of Modern Cryptographic Hash Functions II

Motivation

The strength of the security of electronic applications and systems relies on the security of the smallest building blocks. Cryptographic hash functions are one example of a ubiquitously deployed building block, with applications ranging from digital signatures, authentication protocols, random number generation and many more. Since the discovery of weaknesses in the most frequently used hash functions in 2005, an extensive amount of work has been invested in hash functions. With the SHA-3 competition of NIST on track, there is a growing need for fundamental and applied research to support the choice of the new world wide hash standard.

Aims and goals

We investigate in detail the security and foundations of modern hash functions. The first goal of the project is to analyze already established hash functions (e. g. the SHA-2 family, Whirlpool). An important point is to automatize further the attack methods developed for SHA-1. The second goal of the project is to extend the research to recently proposed hash functions within the SHA-3 competition. The third goal is work towards foundations of hash functions security comparable to what is available for block ciphers.

Funding

This project is funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).