Entropy is a measure of information content, which can be viewed as the uncertainty in a random selection.
7
votes
1answer
360 views
Should I use the first or last bits from a sha-256 hash?
I have the need for a hexadecimal token that is smaller than the normal length of the hexadecimal representation of a sha-256 hash.
Should I take the first bits or the last bits? Which of them ...
2
votes
1answer
176 views
Shannon entropy calculation: is $H(A|R·A) = H(A)$?
Suppose I generate a random $m×m$ matrix $R$, where each of its elements belongs to $\mathbb Z_n$. I ensure that $R$ is invertible in $\mathbb Z_n^{m×m}$.
Now I take a non-random $m×m$ ...
3
votes
2answers
831 views
Brute forcing CRC-32
I'm working on a cryptosystem which uses IDEA. The designer made the mistake of including a CRC-32B hash of the password unencrypted in the header, so that the system can quickly reject bad ...
7
votes
2answers
545 views
Measuring entropy for a ciphertext only attack
When bruteforcing a password (e.g. the common attacks on DES), where you have ciphertext only, you need a way to assess whether a decrypted plaintext is the right one. I believe the EFF DES machine ...
3
votes
2answers
194 views
Feedback on rolling my own entropy gatherer
First of all, I don't recommend doing this. This was something I created when I didn't know better and didn't have a solution available to me.
Long ago I created my own entropy gather for a ...
1
vote
1answer
188 views
What happens to the entropy of a password when you hash it?
For example, if the entropy of a password is 30 bits, what is the entropy of the password when you hash it with MD5?