A cryptographic standard for online security long known to be vulnerable should be phased out quickly, according to Dutch researchers who worked with Google to successfully break the algorithm. Developed by the U.S. government in the 1990s, the SHA-1 hash function was designed to help secure and authenticate electronic files and digital signatures.
Category: National Institute of Standards and Technology
The SHA1 hash function is now completely unsafe
Security researchers have achieved the first real-world collision attack against the SHA-1 hash function, producing two different PDF files with the same SHA-1 signature. This shows that the algorithm’s use for security-sensitive functions should be discontinued as soon as possible.
Cybersecurity of the power grid: A growing challenge
Called the “largest interconnected machine,” the U.S. electricity grid is a complex digital and physical system crucial to life and commerce in this country. Today, it is made up of more than 7,000 power plants, 55,000 substations, 160,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and millions of miles of low-voltage distribution lines.