Analysis of Step-Reduced SHA-256

This is the first article analyzing the security of SHA-256 against fast collision search which considers the recent attacks by Wang et al. We show the limits of applying techniques known so far to SHA-256. Next we introduce a new type of perturbation vector which circumvents the identified limits. This new technique is then applied to the unmodified SHA-256. Exploiting the combination of Boolean functions and modular addition together with the newly developed technique allows us to derive collision-producing characteristics for step-reduced SHA-256, which was not possible before. Although our results do not threaten the security of SHA-256, we show that the low probability of a single local collision may give rise to a false sense of security.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2006
• Where: FSE
• Authors: Florian Mendel, Norbert Pramstaller, Christian Rechberger, Vincent Rijmen
• Keywords: Cryptology, Fast Collision Search, FSE 2006, Step-reduced Sha-256, Unmodified Sha-256