Musings

SHA-1 (Secure hash algorithm) is a 160-bit hash algorithm that is at the heart of many web security protocols such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) since shortly after it was developed by the NSA (National Security Agency) in 1995. In 2005, a professor in China demonstrated an attack that could be successfully launched against the SHA-1 function, suggesting that the algorithm might not be secure enough for ongoing use. Because of this, NIST immediately recommended federal agencies begin moving away from SHA-1 toward stronger algorithms. In 2011, NIST mandated that many applications in federal agencies