Skip to main content

NOTICE: Due to a lapse in annual appropriations, most of this website is not being updated. Learn more.

Form submissions will still be accepted but will not receive responses at this time. Sections of this site for programs using non-appropriated funds (such as NVLAP) or those that are excepted from the shutdown (such as CHIPS and NVD) will continue to be updated.

U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

The NIST Hash Competition

Published

Author(s)

William E. Burr

Abstract

Since the discovery of collision attacks against several well known cryptographic hash functions in 2004 there has been a rush of new cryptanalytic results that cast doubt on our current hash function standards. The relatively new NIST SHA-2 standards are not yet immediately threatened, but their long term viability is now questioned.  NIST has therefore begun an international competition to select a new SHA-3 standard.  This article outlines the competition, its rules, the requirements for the hash function candidates, and the process that NIST will use to select the final winning SHA-3 standard.
Citation
IEEE Security & Privacy
Volume
6
Issue
3

Keywords

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), algorithm, competition, cryptography, hash functions, Standard Hash Algorithm (SHA), security

Citation

Burr, W. (2008), The NIST Hash Competition, IEEE Security & Privacy, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=152084 (Accessed October 12, 2025)

Issues

If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact [email protected].

Created May 20, 2008, Updated February 19, 2017
Was this page helpful?