Enhancing the MD-Strengthening and Designing Scalable Families of One-Way Hash Algorithms

One-way hash algorithms are an indispensable tool in data security. Over the last decade or so a number of one-way hash algorithms have been designed and many of them have been used in numerous applications. Recent progress in cryptanalytic attacks on one-way hash algorithms by Wang and co-workers, however, has brought up the urgency of research into new and more secure algorithms. The goal of this paper is two-folded. On one hand we propose a simple technique to affix authentication tags to messages prior to being hashed by an iterative oneway hash algorithm with the aim of increasing the overall security of the algorithm against cryptanalytic attacks. One the other hand we advocate the importance of a system oriented approach towards the design and deployment of new families of one-way hash algorithms that support greater scalability and facilitate migration to newer member algorithms upon the compromise of deployed ones. We base our observations on a common sense premise that there is no specific one-way hash algorithm can remain secure forever and it will eventually be broken by a cryptanalytic attack faster than exhaustive research. ∗Corporate Information Security, Wachovia Bank, 1525 West T. Harris Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28288, USA. {neil.kauer, tony.suarez}@wachovia.com †Information Security and Assurance Center, UNC Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA. [email protected]