Tagged Questions

1
vote
1answer
67 views

How to compare two datasets „anonymously”?

Ok, I hope this question makes some sense because I am not so sure how to word it any differently… Imagine the following situation: There are 10 defined colors (blue, orange, yellow etc.) There are ...
2
votes
0answers
65 views

How can I prove that this encryption scheme from a random oracle is secure?

I am reading this example: A random oracle is an ideal object. What makes a random oracle convenient for proofs is the part about knowing nothing on the output for a given input if you do not ...
2
votes
2answers
131 views

How can mega store my login details and still be secure?

I understand how Mega's encryption works. For a quick summary of all those in the future looking for an answer on this... here is how it works: Upon first signing up for an account you make a ...
-2
votes
1answer
60 views

Cryptographic Primitive Method

Is there any cryptographic primitive bijective (one-to-one and onto) function for creating cryptographic tools like symmetric encryption/decryption, Hash code generator, MAC, HMAC and Random number ...
2
votes
1answer
90 views

Hashing a password with the password?

I was wondering if hashing a password with the password would be a good way of encrypting the password. So, the user must know his/her password to get the same result as the one in the database. Also, ...
4
votes
2answers
159 views

Is it possible to break a hash-based block cipher?

Let's define the following block cipher: $C_n = M_n \oplus H(k + n)$ where $C_n$ is the nth block of ciphertext, $M_n$ is the nth block of plaintext, $H$ is a cryptographic hash function, and $k$ is ...
3
votes
1answer
184 views

A single password manager vs password generator/hash

I have been wondering about the options available for managing passwords. However, they all seem to fail if the master password is compromised (which isn't a big surprise). On one hand you have ...
3
votes
2answers
108 views

Is there an advantage to storing keys split between several hashes?

I have a question about the way to store a key or password that was used for encryption, so that the application can check if the user put in the right key for decryption. If I make a mistake, please ...
2
votes
2answers
293 views

Constructing a block-cipher from a hash function

It is possible to use a hash function to construct a block cipher with a structure similar to DES? Because a hash function is one way and a block cipher must be reversible (to decrypt), how is it ...
1
vote
1answer
255 views

How to implement order preserving encryption or order preserving hashing

Does anybody know any free implementation of either order preserving encryption or order preserving hashing? I've found some codes like CMPH but I need to dynamically add new DATA and that's why most ...
4
votes
3answers
147 views

Can I jettison MAC if I already have SHA1(M)?

I'm currently using SSL with AES-CBC and HMAC for a file transfer containing string M. Now suppose Alice already knows SHA1(M) (and the adversary does not), and she downloads M from Bob using only ...
4
votes
2answers
221 views

Is the encryption of a hash a good MAC?

At university we were told that it is a bad idea to implement a MAC by simply concatenating a key with the data to sign and to run it through a hash function (e.g. $s = ...
1
vote
3answers
200 views

Getting started [closed]

I'm looking for a good place to start in cryptography and places to go to get free books etc on the topic. I have been looking online but I always get stuck at some point or another. I need something ...
6
votes
4answers
1k views

Difference between encrypting something and hashing something

What is the difference between encrypting something and hashing something? in what situations would I want one or the other?
6
votes
2answers
374 views

Hash decrypts key, key decrypts cipher… why?

I noticed recently that a couple of pieces of encryption software (TrueCrypt being one of them) don't directly use a hash of the password as the key for the block cipher. Instead, they generate a ...
5
votes
4answers
356 views

Creating an encryption key from several other keys and using hash functions

I want to combine two or more keys to create a single encryption key that relies on all of them. What is the proper method for doing that? Simple XOR? Using hash functions? Something else? I ...
1
vote
1answer
107 views

Tips on conceiving safe software messaging platform

I have a personal project in mind in which I plan to use cryptography in order to let the users be confident in the fact that, even if all data get's stolen, it would be virtually impossible to crack ...
1
vote
2answers
187 views

Seeking special-use fingerprinting/hashing algorithm

For a project I wonder if there exists some kind of fixed-size checksumming/fingerprinting function in which based on this fingerprint given data block 1, it is easy to generate more data blocks that ...
1
vote
1answer
619 views

How does PBKDF1 work?

I need some basic guideline on Password Based Key Derivation Function. PBKDF1 generates a key from password and salt using Hashing algorithm (like SHA1, SHA256, MD5). What is the step behind this?
0
votes
2answers
322 views

Can md5 be used for encrypting data?

I know that md5 shouldn't be used for password hashing because of collisions and possibility of making dictionary attacks e.g. using rainbow tables. But what about ...
3
votes
3answers
830 views

Simple/beginner level explanation of salt

I'm a beginner to cryptography and looking to understand in very simple terms what salt is, when I might need to use it and why I should/should not use it. Can anyone offer me a very simple and clear ...
1
vote
1answer
220 views

Verifying the integrity of ciphertext using the cleartext hash?

I want to be able to verify the integrity of a ciphertext by providing the cleartext hash, for this to work it would need to: $$hash(crypt(cleartext)) = f(hash(cleartext))$$ Where $f$ is an ...
2
votes
1answer
291 views

Hash or encryption function for challenge-response protocol?

Say I have an authentication protocol where the shared secret is never transmitted. The server passes a challenge to the client and the client calculates a response using an algorithm where the ...
12
votes
3answers
860 views

Hashing or encrypting twice to increase security?

Over on the bitcoin forums I asked why the bitcoin client computes SHA-256(SHA-256(x)) as its cryptographic hash for a variety of purposes. The leading theory--since the bitcoin author has ...
0
votes
1answer
389 views

iSeries (AS/400) Database File: password encryption

I am helping with a project in which an old software system on an iSeries is having a brand new .NET UI applied to it. It's going well... except... In order to allow users to login and maintain ...
4
votes
3answers
542 views

Is it feasible to build a stream cipher from a cryptographic hash function?

A few years ago I devised a symmetric-key system that worked like so: ...