In this paper, we describe Whirlpool, which is a block-cipher-based secure hash function. Whirlpool produces a hash code of 512 bits for an input message of maximum length less than 2256 bits. The underlying block cipher, based on the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), takes a 512-bit key and operates on 512-bit blocks of plaintext. Whirlpool has been endorsed by NESSIE (New European Schemes for Signatures, Integrity, and Encryption), which is a European Union-sponsored effort to put forward a portfolio of strong cryptographic primitives of various types. Keywords advanced encryption standard, block cipher, hash function, symmetric cipher, Whirlpool