MD5 vs SHA-1 – Which one to select for HMAC?

by | Feb 27, 2017 | CCNP, CompTIA, Data Security, Encryption

MD5 and SHA-1 are well-known cryptographic hash functions. And HMAC is a well-known keyed hash-based message authentication code that involves a cryptographic hash function and a secret cryptographic key. Before we go to the topic of which one to use for HMAC, let’s first understand which one does what.

What are MD5, SHA-1, and HMAC?

HMAC

MD5 is one in a series of message-digest algorithms designed by Prof. Ronald Rivest of MIT. It produces a 128-bit hash value, and the hash value is expressed in text format as a 32-digit hexadecimal number.

SHA is also a cryptographic hash algorithm designed by the United States National Security Agency. SHA produces a 160-bit hash value, and the hash value is expressed as a 40-digit hexadecimal number. SHA-1 is a member of the Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA) family. SHA-1 is similar to SHA-0 but alters the original SHA hash specification to correct some weaknesses. SHA-2 was published in 2001, and it is significantly different from SHA-1. In 2005, cryptoanalysts found attacks on SHA-1 and suggested that the algorithm might not be secure enough for ongoing use. Although no successful attacks have been …

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Amrita Mitra

Author

Ms. Amrita Mitra is an author, who has authored the books “Cryptography And Public Key Infrastructure“, “Web Application Vulnerabilities And Prevention“, “A Guide To Cyber Security” and “Phishing: Detection, Analysis And Prevention“. She is also the founder of Asigosec Technologies, the company that owns The Security Buddy.

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