hashing

A contest, sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), hopes to find a new cryptographic hash algorithm to replace the SHA-2 (Secure Hash Algorithm - 2) algorithm that NIST published eight years ago. The deadline for SHA-3 submissions was Oct. 31, and NIST hopes to cut the field down to 15 or 20 contestants by next August. That's when the hard work of hammering away at the submissions and knocking loose any flaws will really begin.