This document provides a technical overview of five cryptographic hash functions: Blake2b, SHA3-256, SHA-512, Tiger192,3, and RIPEMD-160.
Output Size: 64 bytes (512 bits)
Structure: Modified HAIFA construction with internal permutation based on ChaCha stream cipher
- Faster than SHA-2/SHA-3 while maintaining security
- Supports keyed hashing (MAC), salting, and personalization
- Tree hashing mode for parallel processing
- Simple design with 12 rounds of processing
- 1.5-3x faster than SHA-3 in software implementations
- No known security vulnerabilities
- Simple design with security proofs
- Supports variable digest lengths (1-64 bytes)
- Not FIPS/NIST approved
- Limited hardware acceleration support
- Less common than SHA-2 in legacy systems
Output Size: 32 bytes (256 bits)
Structure: Sponge construction with KECCAK-f[1600] permutation
- Official NIST standard (FIPS 202)
- Unique sponge function architecture
- 24 rounds of θ, ρ, π, χ, ι operations
- Resistance to length-extension attacks
- NIST-certified for government use
- Efficient hardware implementation
- Resistance to all known cryptanalytic attacks
- Built-in domain separation via padding
- Slower than Blake2b in software
- Higher memory requirements
- Complex mathematical design
- Newer than SHA-2 (less field-tested)
Output Size: 64 bytes (512 bits)
Structure: Merkle-Damgård construction with Davies-Meyer compression
- Part of SHA-2 family (FIPS 180-4)
- 80 rounds per block
- Uses 64-bit words with 8 working variables
- Big-endian architecture
- Widely adopted and standardized
- Extensively analyzed (20+ years)
- Hardware acceleration support
- Backward compatible with SHA-256
- Vulnerable to length-extension attacks
- Slower than SHA-256 on 32-bit systems
- Larger memory footprint
- Not quantum-resistant
Output Size: 24 bytes (192 bits)
Structure: Merkle-Damgård with Davies-Meyer-like compression
- Designed for 64-bit platforms
- 24 rounds (3 passes of 8)
- Non-S-box design using word-based operations
- Truncated version of Tiger hash
- Fast on 64-bit processors
- Unique design resists standard attacks
- Fixed output size (192 bits)
- Efficient in software implementations
- Not standardized by NIST/ISO
- Vulnerabilities found in reduced-round versions
- Limited cryptanalysis compared to SHA
- Rarely used in modern systems
Output Size: 20 bytes (160 bits)
Structure: Dual-pipeline Merkle-Damgård construction
- Designed as drop-in replacement for MD4/MD5
- Two parallel computation lines (5 rounds each)
- 160-bit output for collision resistance
- Little-endian architecture
- No known full collisions found
- Faster than SHA-1 in software
- Resistant to length-extension attacks
- Used in Bitcoin address generation
- Limited output size (less future-proof)
- Not FIPS/NIST approved
- Slower than SHA-256 on modern hardware
- Fewer security margins than SHA-3
| Algorithm | Collision Resistance | Pre-image Resistance | Quantum Resistance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blake2b | 256-bit | 512-bit | 256-bit |
| SHA3-256 | 256-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| SHA-512 | 256-bit | 512-bit | 256-bit |
| Tiger192,3 | 96-bit | 192-bit | 96-bit |
| RIPEMD-160 | 80-bit | 160-bit | 80-bit |
- Password Hashing: Blake2b (with salt)
- Blockchain: SHA3-256 (Ethereum), RIPEMD-160 (Bitcoin)
- Government Systems: SHA3-256 or SHA-512
- Legacy Systems: SHA-512
- Resource-constrained: Blake2b